


Over-Occupied

by Improvement



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: College, Developing Relationship, M/M, Romance, Roomates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2020-06-04 06:55:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 40,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19413040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Improvement/pseuds/Improvement
Summary: Oikawa Tooru and Iwaizumi Hajime were ready to start their college life as roommates. What they were not prepared for is Ushijima Wakatoshi being cramped in their small double bedroom.Haikyu!! and its characters belong to Haruichi Furudate, this is purely fanfiction.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Italics are used to represent flashbacks.

Oikawa put on his headphones and stared at his friend through his phone screen. "Hurry up Iwa-chan, there are only five minutes left until our rooming selections are out!" he cheered.

Oikawa didn't think it would happen. He didn't think that he would be lying down on his bed, waiting for Iwaizumi to find his damn password so they could see if they would be roommates. Hell, Oikawa didn't even think they would be going to the same college. After their last match with Karasuno, he thought for sure him and Iwaizumi would be heading their separate ways. Oikawa felt torn just by the thought of it, having known Iwaizumi practically his whole life. He remembered the pit of emptiness enveloping him as they talked about potentially not being on the same team. Oikawa didn't believe he could ever find someone who was more reliable in catching his sets as much as Iwaizumi was. This made him think back to the day he made the decision and how easy it was. 

" _Did you get in?" Iwaizumi asked, referencing the elite college known for its volleyball that Oikawa had applied to. The pair had just finished their classes and were headed home. The streets of Miyagi were quiet today._

_"I didn't," Oikawa said with a frown. "How about Iwa-chan buys me some ice cream so I can feel better?"_

_"You idiot," Iwaizumi said. But Oikawa knew the other boy would definitely buy him the ice cream. The pair started to walk together down the long, empty street walk to the nearest convenience store. Oikawa carefully hid the acceptance letter with the words "Congratulations" sprawled on top of it into his bookbag._

_"I guess we'll just have to go to Mount College together then," Oikawa said with a smile._

_"Great! I get stuck with an idiot for another four years," Iwaizumi replied. Oikawa made a mental note of the smile that was on the other's face and gently pushed him for his comment. He knew he wouldn't regret the decision he made._

"Okay, I'm finally in," Iwaizumi said.

This helped break Oikawa out of his train of thought. The setter pretended to frown. "Really Iwa-chan, you need to put your passwords in one place," Oikawa said as he looked at the boy on the other end of the screen. He couldn't help but notice the Godzilla shirt the other had on. Somethings never change. "Two minutes left until we get to see! What will you do if you don't get me as a roommate Iwa-chan?" Oikawa asked. 

Iwaizumi looked at the boy on the other end of the line and stoically said, "I would cheer in joy." 

"Iwa-chan is so mean!" Oikawa fake pouted.

Iwaizumi couldn't help but roll his eyes at the antics. You would think he would be used to it by now, but Iwaizumi truly believed that there was not a person in the world who would get used to Oikawa. In all honesty, he didn't know how he would feel if he did not get the setter as a roommate, but it would certainly not be joy. 

"It's out, click on the page," Iwaizumi heard through his headphones. He proceeded to refresh the page and take a look at the rooming assignment. "Yes! We got the Athletic Abode as our house and each other as roommates!" Oikawa read out the information Iwaizumi saw on his laptop. "Wait," Oikawa said, "What does over-occupied mean?" 

"It means we have a room fit for two but they're going to stick another person in it," Iwaizumi answered. "As if having you wasn't bad enough," he added to rile Oikawa up. But Oikawa wasn't interested. 

"Who is the other roommate? I don't see any contact listed," Oikawa said. Iwaizumi took a closer look at his laptop and realized this was true. It showed that a third person was set to live with them, but didn't show who it was. 

"Must be a glitch. I guess we will meet them when we move in," Iwaizumi said after a while. He personally didn't like that idea and knew Oikawa didn't either. The two had grown to have a routine together. Even though they didn't live together all their lives, they might as well have. Even their families were well acquainted with each other at this point. Adding another person would just throw all that off.

But Iwaizumi couldn't complain. He didn't know if there were higher powers, but someone had felt Iwazumi's pain at the thought of never being able to spike one of Oikawa's sets again. Was Oikawa a pain in the ass? Yes. Was he annoying? Yes. But was the world just a little too quiet for Iwaizumi without Oikawa around? Yes. And so even if he has to deal with someone else, he would do it because at least his world wouldn't be dull. 

Iwaizumi heard a sneeze come from the other end of the line. "Idiot, stop showering at night and not drying your hair off properly! Your room is always freezing too!" he chastised. 

"It's hard to maintain this beauty," Oikawa said back, sticking out his tongue. 

"Go to sleep," Iwaizumi said, showing fake irritation at his friend's comments. 

"Hmm, goodnight Iwa-chan," Oikawa said before the beep signaling the end of the call. For some reason, goodnights were uncommon between them, even in all the years they have been friends. However, Iwaizumi tended to sleep particularly well when it did happen. And so he closed his laptop and placed it away with his phone getting ready to sleep peacefully for the night.


	2. Chapter 2

The heat of the summer was reaching its highest point when it was finally time for Oikawa and Iwaizumi to move into their new college dorms. The boys were undoubtedly excited for this, although the latter tried to hide the fact. Before all this, they had spent weeks buying stuff for the dorms as well as new clothes for their college lives. Now, however, as they waited in line for their student IDs, holding countless bags full of stuff, the pair was starting to regret all that shopping they had done. This was particularly tough on Oikawa. 

"Iwa-chan, my arms hurt!" he would complain every five seconds. 

"Well, that's what you get for buying thirty different shirts when you practically have a whole closet full of stuff at home," Iwaizumi remarked back. Iwaizumi was starting to get annoyed too, not just by Tooru but the heat, the massive amounts of people, and the aching that had now developed in his feet. 

It took another 30 minutes for the pair to get their IDs as well as the keys to their dorm. By this time, the bags they had were all jumbled and mixed together. Somewhere along the line, Iwaizumi decided to take some of Oikawa's load, which Iwaizumi's aching arms were now punishing him for. Luckily for the two, their dorms were close to the office they had spent the past hour in. They took a few minutes near the office entrance to re-energize themselves before moving forward. Oikawa drank lustfully from a water bottle before handing it over to Iwaizumi, who unquestioningly gulped down what remained. They both faced outside the door and looked at their destination. 

"Are you ready?" Oikawa asked, a new grin pasting itself over his face. 

"Yeah," was Iwaizumi's simple response. 

The two boys picked up the bags that had been gently resting on the ground and sped down the giant grass lawn that separated them from their dorms. Any sign of exhaustion that was present before had been expelled from their bodies by adrenaline. Not many people stood in their way, and those who watched them passed judgment silently. It wasn't a very majestic sight, but neither of them cared. Besides, freshman year of college was the time for dumb stuff, and if that dumb stuff started the moment they set foot on College, then so be it. 

* * *

"We're never going to do that again!" Iwaizumi said, breathing in between each word. 

Oikawa and Iwaizumi finally had made it into the elevator that would take them to the third floor. Personally, Oikawa preferred living higher up because of the view, but as he was currently slouched over with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath, he was in no condition to complain. The ding that they heard signaling their destination could not come soon enough. The silver elevator doors parted to reveal their hall. As the theme of their house was athletics, each floor represented a sport. Oikawa and Iwaizumi smiled, staring at the volleyball stickers and decorations that were put up. This was already starting to feel like home. The two gathered the bags of stuff they had bought, which surprisingly was still holding up and walked to their room. 

"It should be right here," Iwaizumi said. He looked at the rooms they passed by: 109, 110, and finally their room 111. They had greeted a few of the students while maneuvering through all the suitcases, bags, pillows, and countless other things they found on the floor. No one was in the mood for anything more than a simple hello as everyone was busy settling down. Iwaizumi bumped into Oikawa, which broke his concentration on all the stuff that was laying around. "Oi, is it that hard to keep moving?" Iwaizumi asked. He looked up to see what Oikawa was so astonished at and couldn't help but freeze himself. Their door was open and it seemed someone was already inside. In the haze of shopping for their dorm, getting all the summer tasks done, and enjoying themselves, the pair had forgotten that a third member would be joining them in their room. This would finally be their chance to meet them. 

Oikawa moved first, with a big smile ready on his face. Oikawa generally considered himself to be good with people. He had lots of practice from interacting with all his fans. "Hi! We're your new-" Oikawa started to say as he entered the room, but the words died before they could ever leave his mouth. He could feel Iwaizumi come up behind him. The two were still once more and it seemed as if at that moment, time had stopped. "What are **you** doing here?" Oikawa finally spoke, sounding more bitter than he intended to. 

"This is my dorm room." Always with those short responses. Ushijima was never one to say more than what he was asked. "May I ask why you two are here?" The answer seemed fairly clear, but Ushijima asked just in case this was a misunderstanding. 

"Hi, roommate," Iwaizumi said answering the question. His eyebrows were scrunched up, revealing more emotions than he would have liked to. 

The atmosphere in the room was tense, to say the least. The air felt thick and almost unbreathable. Any word said would be the wrong word. It was no secret that these three had bad blood between each other. Ushijima saw Oikawa as wasted potential, which he did not resist voicing. Iwaizumi and Oikawa saw Ushijima as egotistical. The staredown could have lasted for hours, but it was ended abruptly when Ushijima moved first. 

"I brought a few small plants to keep in this room. I hope you do not mind." He walked over to cute little pots with little green stems coming out of them. Nothing had grown out of them yet, and with Autumn approaching, maybe nothing ever would. But Ushijima believed that with the right type of soil, anything could grow, even in the harshest of environment. He looked at the other two, wondering if they would give him a response but they just stood there with a blank look on their face. Ushijima understood. He was a terrible communicator, and sometimes what he said offended people and made them not want to talk to him. This was a lesson he learned when he was very young, but he was comfortable with that. He didn't like to talk much anyway. Through time, he learned that the best thing to do is give people space. Saying things to get others to talk just made the whole situation worse. So Ushijima went back to unpacking and putting away his stuff, leaving Oikawa and Iwaizumi to whatever it was they were thinking about. 

"Iwaizumi, may I talk to you?" Oikawa said after a while. 

Iwaizumi's muscles tensed up even more. It was rare for Oikawa to call him anything besides Iwa-chan and the occasional Hajime. Iwaizumi knew of the bad blood between Oikawa and Ushijima. He was the one who sat through Oikawa's rant about Ushijima telling him that he should have gone to Shiratorizawa. It pissed Iwaizumi off to see his childhood best friend feel hassled like this. Iwaizumi knew he was sometimes mean spirited to Oikawa, but they were friends. For someone else to do the same, made Iwaizumi feel hot with anger. He looked at Ushijima, who seemed unconcerned with the pair, and followed Oikawa out the door. 

"I can't do this. We have to request a dorm change." Oikawa said. The many emotions going through Oikawa right now were overwhelming. He felt tears of pure frustration creeping at the corner of his eyes. This was supposed to be a start to a new life and new adventures with Iwaizumi, and now the same asshole from high school who single-handedly defeated his team's spirit was their roommate.

"Oikawa, I know how you feel," Iwaizumi started. He wanted to make his voice as gentle as he possibly could. Oikawa appreciated Iwaizumi's effort, but it did not comfort him nonetheless. "We cannot select a room change until a week from now," Iwaizumi said. 

"Can we file an emergy room change or something, come on Iwa-chan think!" Oikawa was upset right now. He knew that he must sound a little childish and that this wasn't any sort of "emergency" that would be accepted for an early room switch, but he could not live even a week with Ushijima. 

"Hey idiot," Iwaizumi said, grabbing Oikawa's wrists tightly. He always did this to calm Oikawa down, and even now it seemed to work its charms. "I'm here with you, aren't I? If Ushijima says something, we can both beat him up for sure." This earned a laugh from Oikawa. "Why don't you stand here, get your ass together, and come in a few minutes. I want to have a chat with Ushijima first." 

Oikawa looked at Iwaizumi intensely and then nodded. Iwaizumi let go of Oikawa's wrist, allowing for Oikawa to lean onto the white wall and take a deep breath. Meanwhile, Iwaizumi headed inside. He stood by the doorway waiting for Ushijima to acknowledge him but the other boy wasn't showing any inclination to. Iwaizumi thought of what he could say at the moment without sounding heated. Iwaizumi understood his problem with anger, but right now he was trying to be anything but. After a while, he began to speak. 

"Look Ushijima," Iwaizumi said, waiting for the other boy to pay attention to him. Ushijima turned to give Iwaizumi an audience. "I know we don't get along and all that rivalry stuff, but right now, we are stuck with each other. I think the best thing for us would be to just not get in each other ways." 

Ushijima looked at the other boy with a look of confusion. He didn't understand why such a point needed to be made. Ushijima knew that he wasn't the most social of guys, but he did not prize confrontation either. To him, this whole conversation was useless. He replied with the only thing that felt worthy of being said. "Okay."

A one-word response was not what Iwaizumi was looking for, but before he could say anything, Oikawa walked back in the room. "Iwa-chan, let's get to cleaning." And that was the end of the conversation. For the rest of the evening, the three focused on fixing up their dorms and kept to their own little bubbled. 

* * *

Iwaizumi and Oikawa went to a dinner date at a cafe near campus. The cafe itself was much too fancy for their taste but it allowed for the two to explore around their college and also helped to heighten their chances of not meeting Ushijima. It was nice for the two to walk back in the cooler wind as the heat of the sun continued to fade away into the night. Today had been a long day and a relatively stressful one at that. Oikawa couldn't imagine what tomorrow would be like, having to do those "getting to know each other better activities" that all colleges force their students into. But he didn't want to think about that now. 

"Hey Iwa-chan, wasn't that fan cute?" Oikawa asked instead. At the cafe, Oikawa met a girl who was supposedly a big fan of his. Iwaizumi was reduced to the role of the cameraman as the girl insisted that she have pictures with Oikawa. Oikawa wanted to see if he could draw some jealousy out of Iwaizumi. It was fun seeing his fans but it was much better to see Iwaizumi get jealous of the interactions. But lately, it seemed Iwaizumi didn't care much. 

"Don't get swooped away already idiot," Iwaizumi responded. Oikawa meeting fans was a regular occurrence. After all, he was the more popular of the two. This became fairly obvious from the time when they were children when Oikawa had his first girlfriend before Iwaizumi could even get any girls to pay attention to him. It used to bother him when he was little, so Iwaizumi tried everything. Different hair cuts, different workouts, different hobbies. But nothing would switch the fact that Oikawa was the more popular of the two. Before soon, Iwaizumi began to realize why girls were so obsessed with his friend. Oikawa was, objectively, an attractive person. But as quickly as that thought took root inside Iwaizumi's mind, just as quickly did he cut it off. Friends don't think about each other like that. 

The two chattered their way back to the dorms. They stood outside the room door and Oikawa took a deep breath knowing he would have to face Ushijima again. He was the first one to knock on the door. Oikawa might hate Ushijima, but growing up in the family that he did, Oikawa knew a thing or two about privacy. There was no response from the inside. 

"Maybe he fell asleep," Iwaizumi said as he took out the keys and began to open the door. 

Before the two could enter, they were stopped by the view that was in front of them. 

"Dude what the fuck!" Oikawa said to the shirtless Ushijima that stood inside. Ushijima made a disgusted face, not being a fan of colorful curse words himself. 

"What is the matter?" Ushijima asked, dumbfoundedly. At this, Iwaizumi let out a hearty laugh. 

"Don't mind Oikawa, he's strictly a pajamas type of guy. I prefer to sleep shirtless too," Iwaizumi said.

The stoic look returned to Ushijima's face. "If this is a problem, I can change," he said. But Iwaizumi shook his head no signaling that it wouldn't be necessary.

And that was how Oikawa ended up in the same room as two scantily clad aces. He had seen Iwaizumi this way many times, but somehow having Ushijima in the same room made everything more embarrassing. Oikawa had a hard time not looking at the built bodies that these men have worked up from all their time playing volleyball, but he knew he must not look at them this way. One of them was his best friend and the other his natural-born enemy. Either way, it was wrong. Instead, Oikawa focused on his cute pair of blue pajamas with little green alien heads printed everywhere. He much preferred this, to being shirtless in a room with Ushijima. 

"Aliens?" Ushijima asked out of nowhere. He was intrigued by the setter's choice of nightwear. Ushijima isn't easily intrigued by many things, but with Oikawa, it seemed as if everything was interesting. 

"What about them?" Oikawa asked, a hint of rude mockery lingering in his words. 

"Don't start with Tooru about aliens. Trust me, you don't want to hear all the crazy conspiracies about how there are aliens on the moon and stuff," Iwaizumi said, earning him a playful punch from Oikawa. "What about you Ushijima, do you believe in aliens?" Iwaizumi asked. Although he preferred to keep his distance from the other ace, Iwaizumi knew that a less tense situation was better for all of them currently. 

"I don't believe in aliens. I think they are fake," Ushijima said flatly. Oikawa gave him an angry look but didn't push the conversation. The air had grown tense again, much to Iwaizumi's distaste. With that, the three of them rattled around for a bit before going to bed. Iwaizumi and Oikawa had already put their beds together, creating distance between them and Ushijima. 

"I can't stand him," Oikawa whispered to Iwaizumi. 

"I know, just get through the week," Iwaizumi reminded. "Goodnight Shittykawa."

"Goodnight Iwa-chan," Oikawa said, reaching out to wrap his hand around Iwaizumi, but he was quickly kicked back to his side of the bed. The two then closed their eyes and tried to fall asleep. As soon as the pair closed their eyes, however, violin music spread throughout the room. Oikawa's eyes were the first to snap open, frustration building on his face. Iwaizumi decided to take over before the setter exploded. 

"Dude, what is that?" Iwaizumi asked, himself starting to get irritated. 

"Music helps me sleep at night. It will turn off after five minutes. I hope that is not a problem. If it is, I can turn it off," Ushijima said. Ushijima was not used to sharing a room with others and knew that things would change when he did. But he also had a hard time adjusting to change. 

Iwaizumi didn't notice when Oikawa got up. The boy was a blur as he made his way over to Ushijima's bedside. Iwaizumi didn't know Oikawa to be exceptionally violent since he entered high school, but maybe he had finally cracked. This turned out not to be the case as Oikawa simply walked over to Ushijima's bedside table and turned off the music. "Goodnight," he said simply and walked away. Silence engulfed the room. 

It would stay this way for hours. By this time, Oikawa had already fallen asleep, never one to miss a much-needed rest. Iwaizumi, on the other hand, was still up. He couldn't fall asleep with all the stirring going on in the bed far from him. Iwaizumi was a night owl, but he figured Ushijima couldn't fall asleep because of what happened earlier. He started to feel bad for the boy. Iwaizumi remembered a time when Oikawa watched a really scary aliens movie and consequently couldn't fall asleep without the light in his room is on. It annoyed everyone during sleepovers, but Iwaizumi much preferred it to the alternative of watching his friend squirm in fear. Iwaizumi thought quickly and reached into one of his bags near the bed to pull something else. He then went by to Ushijima's bedside, knowing he must look a bit creepy. Ushijima stared at him with big eyes. 

"Take this, you can listen to music and fall asleep without waking up Oikawa." He handed Ushijima his headphones and plugged the other end into the music device. 

"Thank you," Ushijima said, confused. Iwaizumi was the last person he expected any form of kindness from. He slipped the headphones onto his year and tried to fall asleep again. 

Iwaizumi walked back to his bed, feeling a little warm for the good deed he had done. It almost brought a smile to his face. He lied back down, allowing his hand to wrap over Oikawa. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics mean flashback.

"Okay, guys! To get you all well acquainted with your roommates and peers, we have a day of fun planned out for you," the blond-haired advisor spoke out. It was a tradition in the College that the day after students moved in would be filled with fun activities and games to make them feel welcomed. All the students had gathered in the spacious dorm lounge to meet others who were in their house.

Oikawa and Iwazumi were already in a crowd of other athletic students with whom they eagerly discussed the different sports they played. Oikawa was instantly popular, with many people having seen both him and Iwaizumi in magazines. But Oikawa's reign ended as soon as Ushijima joined the crowd. It seemed that everyone, regardless of what sports they played, knew of the player who would be representing their age group internationally. Everyone had endless questions for him, to which Ushijima provided simple, one-word answers when he could. It pissed Oikawa off. 

"So annoying," Oikawa said, his eyes getting narrow in irritation. 

"Come on Shittykawa, don't be an annoying princess just because you're not the center of attention," Iwaizumi mocked, patting the other boy in the back. Oikawa swatted the ace's hand, making Iwaizumi laugh a little. "At least now you can understand how I feel when your constantly surrounded by adoring fans," Iwaizumi said. 

"I am nothing like this!" Oikawa was offended that Iwaizumi would even compare him to the likes of Ushijima. Iwaizumi's lips moved to say something smart back, but he was cut off by the advisor who was now announcing the activities they had planned. 

"Listen up. Today is your opportunity to learn more about your roommates. You're gonna be living with them for a year, so you might as well learn to like them, right? Well, to help you guys get started, we have mandatory activities that everyone must participate in with their roommates. Don't worry, it's fun! This year the theme is cooperation. Each activity is designed to test how well you work together." This earned some murmuring from the crowd, but the advisor kept going.

"The first activity is the cooking challenge. You must work together to prepare a dish that is delicious, or at least edible, to be scored by the judges." She gestured at the other advisors with her hand, signaling them to be the other judges. The murmuring returned, with some expressing serious doubts about the activity.

"The second activity is a maze test. One person must be blindfolded while the others guide them through a track that we have built outside. The person who is blindfolded must have faith that their roommates will not steer them in the wrong direction," the announcer continued. 

"The third and final activity is a game of robbers and defenders. Those with two roommates will be given the role of robbers. Those with three roommates will be playing the role of defenders. One of the three of you must be assigned the role of the precious prize. If the robbers catch the 'prize' they win! Understood?" This was the only activity that seemed to have people pumped. "Let's begin then!"

* * *

"I am not doing this," Iwaizumi said indignantly. He would rather break his leg than to cook with Ushijima and Oikawa. He knew that his cooking skills were limited to making instant noodles, he didn't even wanna imagine how bad this could turn out. 

"Oh come on Iwa-chan, this could be fun," Oikawa said with an annoyingly innocent voice. Oikawa started to look through the few baskets of fruits, veggies, meat, and other stuff sprawled out in front of them. They also had access to a mini-stove and microwave. This seemed to be a little much for a freshman welcome activity, but perhaps that's what the tuition is for. 

"Oikawa, you only eat meals that have been prepared for you. You probably don't even know how to cook rice," Iwaizumi retorted.

Ushijima opened the basket, thinking this whole activity was odd. He knew that no amount of this was going to foster trust between them. But Ushijima was still quite a stickler for the rules and so he participated unwillingly. "What do you guys think of desserts?" he asked to get the two from going at each other again. They had limited time and so far had started nothing. 

"Do you know anything about desserts?" Oikawa asked. Ushijima shook his head no to respond. "Then why would you suggest it?" Oikawa almost screamed. 

"Hey, Shittykawa calm down okay? At least he's giving ideas. We only have 15 minutes and haven't started crap. Do you wanna lose to all these other players?" Iwaizumi knew this was his soft spot. Oikawa hated to lose, and he assumed the same of Ushijima. If their common goal was to prevent that from happening, they might end up cooperating. 

"You're right. What's something simple though, not desserts" Oikawa said, looking deep in thought. His face suddenly lit up from a lightbulb moment. "I know, we can do something with rice, because believe it or not Iwa-chan, I know how to cook rice," Oikawa huffed.

"Omurice?" Iwaizumi suggested. It would be relatively simple, and hopefully, they would be able to throw whatever they wanted in there without making too much of a mess. 

"Yes! I'll get started on the rice, Ushijima hand me some herbs, you look like you know that kinda stuff, and Iwa-chan," Oikawa paused as he searched for something for Iwaizumi to do without making a mess. "Iwa-chan, you can break these eggs for the omelet. 

Iwaizumi had half a mind to be angry at such a demeaning task, but he supposed it was for the greater good for him to stay out of this as much as possible. 

Ushijima pulled out a small bag and examined it before speaking. "Do you like carrots?" he asked. 

Oikawa let out an annoyed sigh. "You don't have to ask, just throw it in." In all honesty, Oikawa couldn't remember the recipe, so anything would have to go. Hopefully, the flavors would work in the end. 

They worked hard for ten minutes, but in the end, the product was less than desirable. The rice ended up undercooked, which of course led to Iwaizumi teasing Oikawa about not knowing how to make rice. Oikawa got his revenge by criticizing the omelet which had a strange orange twinge and was way too salty. Ushijima's contribution was random herbs thrown about the plate. He may know about herbs, but without a recipe, Ushijima was practically useless. 

"Iwa-chan you try it," Oikawa said, moving a spoonful towards him. Iwaizumi shook his head no, but alas he was the chosen one. It wasn't soon before he was spitting the food out. 

"Shitty-kawa, Crappy-kawa, what the f*ck was that??" Iwaizumi said as he tried to wipe the taste off his tongue.

"You don't like?" Oikawa said back, feigning surprise. 

"We have got to do something about this or else we might kill the judges," Iwaizumi said. 

"We could present some fruit," Ushijima suggested. Oikawa was going to retort back but decided that the only way they could win a cooking competition was perhaps not to cook at all. Their first try suddenly said that.

"Okay, me and you," Oikawa said pointing to Ushijima "will be cutting, Iwa-chan, you plate it. We have five minutes guys" 

The three got down to business. Oikawa and Ushijima used their plastic knives on the fruits as if they were nothing. Oikawa was always artistic and Ushijima had an eye for detail. They were perfect for the job. Iwaizumi would not be outshined by them and did his best to get the plating right, even with a few bumps along the way. 

"Apple," Oikawa said, handing Iwaizumi the designed fruit. "Peaches," he was on a roll, giving things to Iwaizumi with the speed a nurse would to a doctor in an operating room. 

"Would you like some ly-" before Ushijima could even finish Oikawa had thrown the fruit out of his hand. Ushijima felt a flash of anger go through him, but it only lasted a second. He could not decipher what the frightened look in Oikawa's face meant. 

"Are you crazy? Iwa-chan is super allergic to lychees," Oikawa said, his eyes wide in shock. 

"O-Oikawa, chill, he didn't know," Iwaizumi said. 

_Oikawa was always severe about Iwaizumi's allergies. When they were little, Oikawa and Iwaizumi would always exchange their favorite foods, and so when his dad brought foreign lychee fruits from his trip, Oikawa rushed to let Iwaizumi try some. He carried a basket full of the sweet juicy fruit and the two-headed off to their favorite spot at the small pond near Iwazumi's house. At the time, no one knew of Iwaizumi's allergies to the particular fruit, but it was well known that the boy had allergies to other things. Neither of them thought of that though as they started pealing the small red delights and started to savor them._

_It wasn't long before Iwaizumi started to itch, but it was also a particularly hot day with a lot of mosquitoes, so neither of them thought much about the red spots forming all over the small boy._

_"These were good, but man these mosquitoes are eating me alive," Iwaizumi said._

_"I'm glad you liked them Iwa-chan," Oikawa replied with a bright smile. It was always a great thing when his friend liked something he brought._

_But all of that didn't last long. When Iwaizumi started having trouble breathing, Oikawa froze. He couldn't understand why his friend seemed in so much pain. He tried to help by offering his friend water but that didn't make anything better. Oikawa had to force himself to leave his friend for a second so he could alert Iwaizumi's mom. He didn't know if that was the right thing to do, but that was all he could do._

_When Iwaizumi's mom heard Oikawa desperately screaming for her, she prepared herself for the worst news. She rushed over to the boy in record speed and before they knew it they were rushing back to Iwaizumi who seemed to be struggling even more now. Oikawa could see tears streaming down the boy's face and his heart started to sink. He was frozen in place as he watched Iwaizumi's mom administer the EpiPen and then rush Iwaizumi to the hospital so he could be checked on._

_The doctors had alerted them that Iwaizumi would be fine but warned them to keep the boy away from lychee fruits. Oikawa was blanketed by guilt. It would be a while before Oikawa would share any food with Iwaizumi again. In the meantime, Oikawa made sure to make a list of every food that Iwaizumi was allergic to, something he still had memorized to this day. Sometimes, Oikawa did a better job of remembering then Iwaizumi did. He couldn't risk hurting his friend again._

"I'm sorry, I didn't know!" Ushijima said sincerely. 

"Don't worry about it," Iwaizumi replied. "Oikawa can be intense when it comes to my allergies sometimes."

"That doesn't sound like 'thank you for saving my life Oikawa," Oikawa said. 

"Thanks, shitty-kawa," Iwaizumi said with a smile. Oikawa couldn't help but relax when he saw that. 

Even with all that, the boys got last place on this challenge. 

* * *

"You think I'm gonna let Iwa-chan walk me down some random path when I'm blindfolded?" Oikawa questioned Ushijima. They were behind the large doors that would be leading them into the maze for the second activity. Ushijima suggested that Oikawa should be blindfolded for this one.

Iwaizumi put his hand over the setter's shoulder. "Why don't you trust me Oikawa?" he whispered in the other boy's ear. 

Oikawa could feel the tingling sensation and moved away quickly. He felt his face heat up but didn't dwell on that too much. "The real question we should be asking ourselves is why does Ushijima not want to do this one? Are you scared?" Oikawa said, teasing the other captain. 

Ushijima wasn't scared. He simply didn't like things that forced him to rely on others. All of these tasks required that but this one, in particular, needed someone to actually walk him through a maze, and Ushijima wasn't that helpless. Before he could put all this into words, Iwaizumi had already moved behind Oikawa and was forcing the blindfold on him.

"Isn't this what you've always wanted Oikawa?" Iwaizumi said in a fake sultry voice.

"Iwa-chan!" was all Oikawa replied with. 

Ushijima felt a little awkward seeing this unfold. He didn't know what to do with himself. He felt as if he shouldn't be there. This feeling was common when he was near these two. 

Oikawa struggled for a bit but then relaxed into it, chalking this one up to fate. Iwaizumi grabbed the left hand and Ushijima grabbed the other as they began walking.

The track itself was pretty simple, with a few crates here and there meant to serve as obstacles. It would have been a relatively easy activity, but Iwaizumi wouldn't have fun this way. 

"Whoops," he said for the fifth time as he pushed Oikawa into another crate. 

"Iwa-chan, it's not funny anymore, my feet are starting to hurt," Oikawa whined. Ushijima would have also preferred for this silliness to stop. Just this was enough to make him realize how weird the next year of his life would be with these two. 

"Whoops," Iwaizumi said, this time pushing Oikawa a little too hard. Oikawa was starting to trip over his leg, but luckily Ushijima was there to catch him. Oikawa could feel the firm muscular hands under him as Ushijima became the only thing left between himself and the ground. His body became oddly tingly so Ushijima quickly helped him up. 

"Are you alright?" the fact that there was a genuine concern in Ushijima's voice weirded Oikawa out. 

"I'm fine," Oikawa said, tearing off the blindfold. "Iwa-chan you suck!" Oikawa threw fake punches at the other boy. 

"My bad, my bad," Iwaizumi said, not bothered by the soft hit. 

The three ended up having to redo that course.

* * *

The final challenge seemed like the easiest one to get through. All they had to do was defend Ushijima who was standing as still as he could. Sure, they had lots of ground to cover on the outside greenfield which they had now moved too, but it was nothing for guys like Oikawa and Iwaizumi. But Oikawa was unhappy.

"He's the 'precious prize'? Who would want that?" Oikawa joked to Iwaizumi. He thought Ushijima wouldn't be able to hear, but Ushijima wasn't deaf. In fact, Shiratorizawa's former ace had a superb hearing. But Ushijima decided not to say anything, understanding the great disdain Oikawa had for him. Better not to engage. 

"Let's just get through this with no incident Oikawa," Iwaizumi said. 

"Hmmm, that's no fun Iwa-chan!" Oikawa said back, pouting, but he seemed to let the notion go.

Pretty soon, the game started. What none of the players were told about was that the "robbers" were equipped with water guns, and if the 'prized' person was hit with water, it would mean that they were caught. Iwaizumi and Oikawa had to shield against such attacks by using their bodies. On a hot day such as this, it was welcomed, and the pair did really good for the first minutes, not letting even a droplet hit Ushijima. 

There was laughter all around as college students were running, hitting each other with water. Some arguments broke out about who was still in the game and who was not. Overall, everyone was having fun. One of the robbers slipped on some water and dropped his water gun, essentially marking his as out. Oikawa saw this as a chance and rushed over to pick up the water gun and spray Iwaizumi with it. This caused Iwaizumi to also abandon his spot and chase after Oikawa for the water gun so he could get his revenge.

Ushijima watched as his teammates left him. Alone. He allowed himself to be hit with the cold water, not even fighting back, essentially marking their team out of the game. But Ushijima did not really care. Things were as they always were. Ushijima wasn't like these people. He didn't expect anything from them either. So he did what he knew how to do best in these situations. Disengage. Walk away. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the bad upload schedule. Still trying to figure out how to use this website, especially the saving edits part.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been almost a month since the boys had first moved in, and things only seemed to be getting more awkward between them. 

Oikawa and Iwaizumi repeatedly requested a room change, with Oikawa practically begging. Iwaizumi played along though he no longer saw living with Ushijima as a big problem. He just didn't want to get left behind with the guy if Oikawa did happen to magically get a room change. But that did not happen. The RA had essentially told them to "suck it up buttercup" and learn how to live with one another. Oikawa expected this, but he hated it nonetheless. 

Ushijima knew this was occurring behind his back. The other two were much less subtle then they thought they were. He thought their efforts were pointless and didn't understand why it was such a problem to live with him. Ushijima never had many friends, but he also never had anyone go to these lengths to distance themselves from him. But it was obvious that the boys wanted nothing to do with him since day one, and especially after the game day. He received the message loud and clear and decided to limit confrontation by avoiding the two altogether. It helped that Ushijima did not have any classes with either of them. From there, it was basically a game of hide-and-seek. 

Oikawa and Iwaizumi had one class together. It was the freshman writing seminar that all students had to take and luckily they ended up in the same course. The class ended around noon giving them time to hit up spots on campus to eat lunch and hang out, which had become routine to them. Today was no different. The pair sat at a cafe and ordered a light lunch to enjoy. 

"Hey, don't you think Ushijima is acting weird?" Iwaizumi asked. 

Oikawa was still munching on his salad when he looked up at Iwaizumi with a confused look. "Why do you care Iwa-chan? He's always a little weird." 

"No, but he's intentionally avoiding us," Iwaizumi said. He didn't care for Ushijima, but the situation was getting a little too extreme and awkward for his liking. It was only a couple of weeks ago when Iwaizumi caught a glimpse of Ushijima only to see the boy do a 180 and walk away. Iwaizumi wished these instances were few and far between, but they were not. The only time he seemed to see Ushijima for an extended period these days, was in their room for bedtime. 

"Iwa-chan isn't that good for us?" Oikawa asked. The setter didn't understand why this was even a point of discussion. The more they could avoid talking about Ushijima the better. 

Iwaizumi was ready to respond, but his eyes fell on something behind Oikawa, through the window of the cafe. Ushijima was walking in. The two made brief eye contact and Iwaizumi could swear that was the first time he had ever seen a shocked expression on Ushijima's face. It was almost laughable. Ushijima quickly turned and walked the other direction. 

"Iwa-chan, what has you so distracted?" Oikawa said as he turned around to see what was going on, but by that time Ushijima had become a dot in the bustling mass around him. 

"N-nothing," Iwaizumi responded, not really why he was hiding this from Oikawa. 

The other didn't seem to question further. "Eat your food, it's getting cold," Oikawa pointed. "But seriously Iwa-chan, let's drop the Ushijima talk okay? The less we see of him, the better. Don't stress yourself out over him." Oikawa knew his friend, and if anything, it was Iwaizumi who was acting weird, not Ushijima. 

"And I thought I was the mom," Iwaizumi rolled his eyes.

* * *

The rest of the day went pretty standard with no further encounters. 

"Iwa-chan, I'm going to check out a club, you wanna come with?" Oikawa asked over the phone. Classes had just ended for the day and Oikawa saw no better way to spend it than doing some digging around campus. 

"Nah, I'll pass. That lab has me dead." Oikawa felt bad for Iwaizumi and all his science class. The setter himself was good in those types of classes, but he could never. 

"Okay, ttyl Iwa-chan," Oikawa cheered over the phone. 

"Idiot, no one says out the letters." Oikawa just laughed to himself and hung up. 

It wasn't long before Oikawa reached his destination. He looked around the small computer lab that had only about three people in it. Rather than focus on that though, his eyes were caught on the snack table, looking for something delicious to eat. If he was going to join a club, he might as well join one with good food. Oikawa made sure no one was paying attention to him before he walked over and started examing the various delights: pizza, soda, granola bars, etc. 

"Can I help you?" Oikawa almost jumped when he heard the voice come from behind him. He turned to see a guy with glasses that he had never seen on campus before. The guy was wearing a smug look, which Oikawa already disliked. 

"Sorry, I'm just here for the photography club," Oikawa said, doing his best to put on a fake smile. 

"Well then, you're in the right place," the guy said extending out his hand. "My name is Dave, I'm the president of the photography club, and I have a hard rule that we don't start snacking until after the meetings." 

Oikawa shook the guy's hand, knowing he was being made fun of. But 'Dave' seemed charming enough. "I'm Oikawa, nice to meet you."

"Oikawa? Cute name," Dave said with a smirk before walking away.

Oikawa sat down and waited for the meeting to proceed, ignoring the weird feeling. 

* * *

Meanwhile, Ushijima and Iwaizumi were in their room studying. The room was mostly quiet with some soft music playing in the background. 

Ushijima wished he could avoid this, but he needed a quiet place to study for his tests. He had been going to the library, but it was closed today for renovation. That left him with no choice but to drop his game of avoidance for one night. 

Iwaizumi felt tense. Nothing about the situation should make him feel this way, but he did. He felt a need to talk to Ushijima about what has been going on but didn't even know how to start. Normally Iwaizumi did his best to avoid small talk, but the silence with Ushijima was becoming painful. He couldn't let the strange situation continue on without knowing why.

After a while, he saw Ushijima get up promptly to water his plants. Iwaizumi was already used to seeing this. He felt this might be a good place to start. 

"That plant looks like it needs more water." At first, Ushijima looked at him, offended, but upon closer inspection, he seemed to agree. 

"Thank you." This lead to a dead end. Iwaizumi would have to think up of some way to revive the conversation. 

"So, when did you get into all this planting stuff?" Iwaizumi asked, feeling a little awkward to pry into the other's life. 

"My mother felt that gardening taught discipline." It was hard to talk to Ushijima with short answers like that.

"My mom was the complete opposite, not a stickler for discipline at all. A little hot-headed though" Iwaizumi said. He had a good relationship with his mom, and he thought back to that fondly sometimes. Ushijima didn't respond and the conversation seemed to end there. Iwaizumi went back to his homework and prayed for Oikawa to come back so that he could focus on anything but this awkwardness. 

His prayers were answered with a knock on the door. Ushijima got up to answer, much to Iwaizumi's surprise. 

"Iwa-" Oikawa was caught off guard by the face he saw on the other side of the door. He ignored it and looked to the boy he was searching for. 

"What's up with all that food?" Iwaizumi said, walking up behind Ushijima. The taller ace took this as an opportunity to go sit back down. 

"They had some leftovers and the club meeting, so free dinner tonight!" Oikawa returned to his cheerful self. 

"Shitty-kawa, don't just take the clubs food. What club was it anyway?" Iwaizumi reprimanded but took the almost empty box of pizza and two cans of soda from Oikawa's hand anyways. 

"It's this photography club, it seems kinda cool." 

A few minutes had passed as Iwaizumi and Oikawa continued to chatter about the club. Oikawa talked about Dave and how he had told the setter what a perfect canvas he is. Iwaizumi didn't seem to buy the story and a friendly fight ensued. After a while, Iwaizumi suggested they dig into the leftover pizza before it gets too cold. He waited before dropping the bombshell he had been planning. "Oikawa, I think we should invite Ushijima to eat with us," Iwaizumi said in a hushed voice. 

Oikawa clearly had not gotten the memo. "What?" he said, almost yelling. 

Iwaizumi signaled for him to lower his voice. "Listen, this is starting to get too awkward. I have a feeling he's just having a hard time communicating with us. The closer we can get to being friendly the better off all of us will be." 

Oikawa couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Iwa-chan, this is the same guy that crushed our dreams of going to the nationals every time, are you forgetting that? What about all the times he spent harassing me with all that "you aren't living up to you full potential stuff? And now you want to invite him for pizza like he's just one of the guys?" Oikawa was livid and Iwaizumi could tell. 

"Look, Oikawa, I know all this. I hate that too. As much as it sucks, we have to leave that behind." It hurt to even speak those words. It wasn't easy to leave all of that behind. It wasn't easy to forget his team's tears or the heartbreak of never being able to cross that obstacle. It wasn't easy to forget the anger Iwaizumi felt every time he was useless as an ace to stand up to Ushijima. But it was even harder to hold onto all of that when that same person was literally in the same room as them. Especially since Ushijima was completely different than what Iwaizumi imagined. 

Iwaizumi always thought of Ushijima as some snobby kid, but in reality, Ushijima wasn't that snobby. He was quite the opposite. Reserved, not very imposing but still held his ground, and most surprisingly he was trying to be accommodating. Iwaizumi had not expected that. 

"And besides, there are three slices," Iwaizumi added, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Well then Iwa-chan, have fun eating with Ushijima, and then shove that last piece up your ass," Oikawa said. He walked over to his bed, took out his laptop, and began typing away. Iwaizumi knew there was no point in reaching out to Oikawa at this point. He would be angry for the night, but it wouldn't last long. It was a storm Iwaizumi had to wait out. 

Iwaizumi walked over to Ushijima's side, where the boy was finishing up the last bit of his assignments. Seijou's ace had to swallow any bit of awkwardness he felt growing around him. He had to do this. "Hey," he said, waiting for Ushijima to look before continuing. "Wanna grab a bite?" He presented Ushijima with the pizza. 

Ushijima was confused as to what was going on. Clearly, Oikawa and Iwaizumi had just fought. Ushijima didn't bother trying to listen in because it was none of his business. Maybe Iwaizumi was treating him as a rebound. 

"I don't believe he will like that?" Ushijima said, signaling towards Oikawa. 

Oikawa heard what he said. He hated people who pretended to care. 

"It'll be alright," Iwaizumi assured.

"I am not a big fan of pizza either," Ushijima said. 

"Just try it okay?" Iwaizumi implored, really wanting to ease the atmosphere in the room. After a while, he was able to convince Ushijima.

Oikawa watched as the other two attempted small talk. Key word: attempted. It was honestly hilarious to watch Iwaizumi push on just to get singular responses from Ushijima. Oikawa would catch glimpses of Iwaizumi's stares on him, but he would look away quickly. Oikawa would not lose tonight. Not even when Iwaizumi tried to entice him with the "this pizza is so delicious," line. Oikawa shook his head, surprised his best friend would resort to such childish tactics, but he knew that his Iwa-chan was just a big baby. He worked hard not the laugh and blow his cover of not caring. 

The dinner took a surprising turn towards more pleasant conversations. Iwaizumi and Ushijima were starting to bond over some of the same music they listen to, with Ushijima shocked that Iwaizumi doesn't exclusively listen to rock music. This was a common misconception about Iwaizumi. He actually loved all sorts of music, but his favorite "genre" would probably be movie soundtracks. Oikawa had to control every fiber in his body to not jump in and interject his own tastes. 

Ushijima was puzzled by Iwaizumi's obsession with monster movies. He found those types of things to be generally childish, but he decided to hold his tongue as Iwaizumi talked about them with such passion. Iwaizumi returned the favor when Ushijima started to talk about his love for classical dramas. The conversation was very one-sided, but Iwaizumi came out of it knowing more about Ushijima. The guy wasn't so bad when he was like this. 

"You still haven't touched your pizza," Iwaizumi said, looking at Ushijima's plate. Iwaizumi was already at the crust of his slice. 

"Do you have any forks or spoons?" Ushijima asked, looking weirdly at the piece as if there was something rotten on the plate. 

Oikawa couldn't hold back. "You too?" He said excitedly. He immediately regretted it but it was too late to take it back. 

"Come on, no one eats pizza with a fork," Iwaizumi interjected, almost facepalming. 

"I do," Ushijima responded. "I do not like getting the oils on my hands." 

"Thank you! Iwa-chan, I told you I wasn't the only one!" Oikawa cheered. Iwaizumi only rolled his eyes. Ushijima thought that for the first time he saw a genuine smile coming from Oikawa, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. 

"Fine, here's your fork princess," Iwaizumi said after looking around a bit. The confused look on Ushijima's face made both Iwaizumi and Oikawa laugh. Ushijima didn't know why, but he didn't feel offended by it.

* * *

After the meal, Ushijima promptly said his thanks. He knew he would have to reevaluate his position on the two because it appeared that they hated him less than he thought they did, or at least Iwaizumi did. Ushijima enjoyed himself, and wouldn't mind doing this once in a while but his mind still lingered back to Oikawa. The boy had gone back to his quiet self after the fork conversation. He hoped he hadn't started any long-term problems. Any such fear was squashed when he watched Iwaizumi walk outside and make a call only to come back with some food, which Ushijima assumed Oikawa liked. 

Ushijima prepared himself for bed and watched out of the corner of his eye as Iwaizumi made his way to where Oikawa was obviously pretending to sleep. 

"Wake up," Iwaizumi said, gently hitting Oikawa. 

"Iwa-chan, leave me alone," the other whined while turning around in his bed. 

"I'm not going to sleep until you eat," Iwaizumi said, waiting at Oikawa's bedside. 

Oikawa refused at first, but after a couple of minutes passed, he got up to eat the food. He knew Iwaizumi would stay up all night. He was stubborn like that. 

Iwaizumi hand-fed Oikawa the food before they both decided to clean up. 

When they were in bed, Oikawa couldn't feel any of the anger that had surrounded him before. Iwa-chan still cared for him, and that brought him comfort. If it meant that Oikawa would have to try a little harder to tolerate Ushijima, made he could try. But for now, he could sleep peacefully. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's a lot of Iwaizumi and Ushijima centered, but I promise in the next few chapters we are going to get an actual love triangle going. Hope you guys enjoy until then!


	5. Chapter 5

Oikawa isn't a snoop. He grew up with everyone wanting to know every detail about him and understood how annoying that was. So, he would never intentionally do it to someone else. But Ushijima was making this more difficult each day.

For the past week, the ace had been madly attached to his phone, something very uncommon for him. Just this morning Oikawa had to yell and bang on the bathroom door because Ushijima was taking too long. The weather was starting to turn chilly and Oikawa had no patience to wait while he was wearing his shorts. He was shocked when Ushijima came out of the bathroom with his eyes glued to his phone. 

The same thing was happening during the nights. Oikawa was starting to notice how even after they had gone to bed, Ushijima would spend time texting away. This was extremely odd for Ushijima, who didn't like to waste any time and cared about his classes. What's more, he would hear little laughs crawling their way from Ushijima's side of the room. They were few and far between, but for Ushijima, even that seemed much. It was starting to get creepy. 

Oikawa was intrigued, to say the least. Iwaizumi seemed to be as well.

Ushijima had stopped avoiding Iwaizumi. The dinners they went on seemed to become an almost regular thing. It annoyed Oikawa, but it wasn't the center of his attention currently. He felt that Iwaizumi might be the key to getting information out of the phone-obsessed boy, but this seemed to be useless as Iwaizumi had no intention of helping Oikawa. Maybe it was for the better anyway since Oikawa was the better of the two with these types of stuff anyway.

* * *

"Maybe he's just texting his former teammates?" Iwaizumi offered up one day in the writing seminar class. The lecture had devolved into students working on their written assignments, which no one was doing. 

"But all the time? Come on Iwa-chan, we text our guys but not all the time like Ushijima is doing." 

"Maybe he's texting a girlfriend," Iwaizumi said. This made Oikawa cackle. Iwaizumi was tired of talking about this already, but he couldn't say he wasn't interested. For someone like Ushijima to be deeply invested in another person certainly seemed like something worth looking into. But he didn't want to invade his friend's privacy like that. 

Friend. Seemed weird to say. Iwaizumi supposed it's about time he started using the word. He let his mind ponder on that as Oikawa continued to talk. 

Pretty soon the class was over and the two walked out. 

"Iwa-chan, what if Ushijima is leading a secret life? Like he is hiding a dark family secret? Or what if he is doing something illegal?" Oikawa's eyes were sparkling with excitement about these new ideas. They seemed to fit Ushijima better than any 'girlfriend' could. 

"Snap out of it," Iwaizumi said, making sure to smack Oikawa in the back of the head. The other let out a small "ow" but Iwaizumi knew it probably didn't hurt that bad. "What do you even think of this guy?" 

"Not much," Oikawa said. But that was a lie. Lately, he had been thinking of Ushijima a lot. "Iwa-chan, why can't you get any information out of him, you know, now that he's your best friend," Oikawa asked. He wanted his words to sting Iwaizumi just a little bit, but the boy did not seem fazed at all. 

"We don't talk about stuff like that." Iwaizumi paused to open the door of the dining hall. 

"You coming in?" he asked Oikawa, still keeping the door open. 

"You go ahead, I have to go back and charge my phone," Oikawa said, rushing back to his dorm. 

* * *

"Where's the charger," Oikawa muttered to himself as he half trashed his side of the room. It wasn't too neat, to begin with, so he didn't worry much. 

"Is there something you're looking for?" Ushijima asked. Oikawa hadn't heard the boy enter in after him. 

"Just my charger. What are you doing up here?" Oikawa had an accusing tone about him which Ushijima didn't seem to understand.

"I always eat lunch here." 

Oikawa would pry more, but he wasn't interested. He continued his search while Ushijima settled down on his own side of the bedroom It wasn't long before the long white charger presented itself on the bottom of Oikawa's wash pile of clothes. He really had to get to that. Oikawa was ready to leave the room but was stopped when he heard Ushijima talking on the phone in a hushed tone. 

"Here...alone...later...tonight," Oikawa could only make out a few words at a time. He pretended to still be looking for the plug by walking closer to Ushijima's bed so he could hear more, but it seemed that the other boy had caught onto what he was doing in. 

"I do not believe what you're looking for is in my side of the room. Would you like me to help you look for it?" Ushijima said, covering the speaker part of his phone. 

"No thanks, I'll just go back," Oikawa said, a bit irritated that his plans didn't work. 

* * *

Midday had turned into late afternoon, but the heat was still as intense as ever. They were headed into Autumn so it really did not make sense for it to be this hot. Normally, on a day like this, Oikawa and Iwaizumi would just stay in or go to the pool. But this afternoon would be spent filling out volleyball forms as the sport starts up in the college. They stood at the end of a line that stretched far outside the gym but was moving at a bearable pace. 

"I really hope they don't treat us like rookies," Oikawa said with a sour look on his face. 

"I don't think they can. The volleyball here is pretty good. I'm sure they know the king of the court, your highness Oikawa, and will treat you like royalty," Iwaizumi joked taking a fake bow. Oikawa didn't find it funny. 

"That sounds too much like Kageyama," he sulked. 

"Well, maybe he gets it from you." That earned Iwaizumi a soft punch on the back. A text message on Iwaizumi's phone stopped the situation from devolving into a fight. 

"Who's that," Oikawa asked, trying to take a peak. Iwaizumi didn't mind. 

"It's Ushijima. That's weird. He's never texted me before." 

What was even more strange was that Iwaizumi could practically hear the begging tone of the message. Ushijima. Begging. College was already turning out to be a weird set of affairs. 

'Iwaizumi, this is Ushijima. I am sorry for the inconvenience. I will not be able to make it for the Volleyball sign up today. Would you be able to put my name down? Please let me know.'

This was shocking. Ushijima, the number one ace in their prefecture, the guy who practically eats, sleeps and breathes Volleyball was missing out. Something wasn't right and Iwaizumi could tell. 

When Iwaizumi told Oikawa about the message he was met with laughter. "Sound like his problem, not ours." Oikawa could sound harsh, but he knew the setter would put Ushijima's name down. Oikawa's pettiness didn't extend that far. And on the odd occasions it did, Iwaizumi was there to stop him. 

"Do you see now why we have to get to the bottom of this?" Oikawa asked as he scribbled Ushijima's name down haphazardly. 

"I'll try to find out next time we talk," Iwaizumi assured, now feeling a little bit more pressure to dig in. 

* * *

But Iwaizumi wouldn't have to do anything. The secrets started to unravel on their own.

Oikawa and Iwaizumi walked into their room and noticed that it was a mess. They weren't the neatest of people, but usually, Ushijima's side was orderly. 

They saw Ushijima, who was looking at himself too intently in the mirror. He was dressed too formally, wearing a white button-down, buttoned all the way, with a black tie and black slacks. His hair had way too much gel in it and was parted in a weird way. It was clear he was nervous, which added to the list of atypical Ushijima behaviors.

"What's going on?" Iwaizumi was the first to ask. 

Ushijima let out a sigh, knowing that he couldn't avoid this any longer. "I have a date," he almost whispered, eyes downcast. 

The boys thought they heard wrong, but judging by the light shade of pink that had now settled on Ushijima's cheeks, they didn't. The gape in Oikawa's mouth could probably be measured with a full ruler. Iwaizumi, on the other hand, tried a little harder to hide his amazement. 

"I have been talking to this guy from one of my classes. We started to realize we have a lot in common and he asked me out." That was the quick explanation Ushijima gave, and neither boy asked for more. 

When Oikawa was able to pull out of his shock, he knew he could not let this slide. He may not like the boy but to send him out like this on a date was just a crime. "Oh honey no," Oikawa said walking over to the taller boy. "You can't go out like this." 

"What's wrong with how I'm dressed?" Ushijima said. He had an annoyed expression painted on his face. He was in no mood to deal with Oikawa. 

"More like what isn't wrong. May I?" Oikawa asked, not wanting to intrude on Ushijima's space. He ignored the other boy's annoyed expression. Ushijima conceded, knowing that he was no good at this. Dates were rare for him and they all seemed to end awkwardly as dead ends. Oikawa did have a good dress sense and it couldn't hurt to dress to impress tonight. 

Oikawa started with the tie, taking it off and throwing it aside. He then unbuttoned a couple of the top buttons on Ushijima's shirt and slightly pulled up the sleeves. Next was the hair. This needed special attention with a lot of Oikawa's 'special' products, but pretty soon Ushijima's hair was laid to the left.

"Was it the boy you were talking to on the phone this morning?" Oikawa tried to make small talk.

"No, that was Tendou. I was telling him about this outing. He seemed very shocked," Ushijima said. 

"Geez, I wonder why," Iwaizumi intruded. He didn't mean to say it out loud but it poured out anyway. He saw Ushijima's expression change slightly but just as quickly it returned back to his usual stoic features with a hint of nervousness. 

"Done!" Oikawa said, clapping for himself.

Looking at the mirror, Ushijima could definitely see an improvement. 

"If I saw you like this I would date you," Oikawa said, hyped from his job well done. "If I didn't know you at all," he added shortly after, a bit embarrassed. "What about you Iwa-chan?" Oikawa teased. 

Iwaizumi hated to admit it, but Oikawa had some serious skills. Right now, Ushijima looked hot. This was something Iwaizumi didn't think would ever cross his mind. He ignored Oikawa's question and said his own piece. "Good luck." 

Ushijima nodded. Iwaizumi asked Ushijima to text him the place in case there was any trouble. After that, Ushijima left, in higher spirits than either of the boys had seen him convey outside the court. 

* * *

Something was wrong, and Iwaizumi knew it. Ushijima left for the date at 9 and said he would be back by 10, apologizing in advance. It was already 11, and no sign of the boy. Usually, Iwaizumi would ignore something so small, but right now his heart was telling him that something was not right. He looked over at Oikawa, who was fast asleep. Iwaizumi contemplated whether to wake up the sleeping boy and ultimately decided that was the best course of action. 

He shook Oikawa and soon the other boy groaned. "What is it Iwa-chan?" It wasn't normal for Iwaizumi to interrupt Oikawa's sleep this far into the night, so Oikawa became alert fairly quickly. 

"Ushijima's not back yet, he said he would be back by 10." 

Oikawa groaned rolled his eyes. "Iwa-chan, he's probably with his date."

"But he said he would be back," Iwaizumi couldn't stop the concern from leaking in his voice. 

"Iwa-chan, sometimes when a date goes really well, two people spend the night together in special ways and they-" Iwaizumi cut him off. 

"I know that idiot! But does Ushijima seem like the type to do that?" Iwaizumi asked. 

Oikawa paused to think for a second, remembering the disastrous fashion choices they had walked in on. Ushijima was not the type. Oikawa didn't even want to think of Ushijima in that type of situation. He looked at Iwaizumi and knew that this situation would not be dropped until they did something about it. Oikawa too was growing a little concerned. He sighed and began to get up. Iwaizumi smiled and followed suit. 

* * *

It didn't take long for Iwaizumi and Oikawa to find the date location. It was at some cute little park near the campus that had a restaurant with a lakeside view. Of course, Ushijima would be the one to do something fancy like this. Had it not been for the worry that was starting to grow on them, Oikawa and Iwaizumi might have treated this as a serene walk. 

Ushijima was easy to spot. He was sitting at a table in the restaurant but was alone. 

"See Iwa-chan, he's fine," Oikawa dismissed, thinking his date must just have gone to the bathroom or the like. But Iwaizumi was still not convinced. He walked towards Ushijima and Oikawa followed. 

As they got closer it was clear that something was wrong. Ushijima looked more crestfallen than usual. He looked out at them with excitement in his eyes, but the excitement soon faded. 

"Oh, hello," he said. 

Iwaizumi took a seat next to the slumped form. He wasn't sure if he should put a hand on the other's shoulder but decided against it. "What happened?" was all Iwaizumi could think to say. 

"He didn't show up. He didn't answer my texts so I thought he may be running a little late. I decided to wait a while but I guess I lost track of time. Sorry for dragging you two out here." Ushijima paused for a second to look briefly at the two of them. "I didn't mean to cause you two trouble."

His voice was quiet but in an unsettling way. He sounded a bit defeated. Oikawa thought back to the guy who didn't even look too upset to have lost against Karasuno. This was the same guy who was a master at hiding his emotions, but right now they were seeping out of him like toxic waste, and Oikawa couldn't handle it. All his life he wanted to see a defeated look on Ushijima's face. From the top of the summit on the other end of the net. He wouldn't let some loser, who couldn't even show up, take that away from him.

The sight before Oikawa was just sad. He tried to convince himself otherwise but there was no denying the fact that, at this moment, his heart was tugging for Ushijima. It was aching for the other. "Well, we can't mope around here all night over some idiot. I'm sure their closing soon too. Let's walk back and see if we can find some ice cream." He was trying to lighten the mood. 

"I am not a big fan of ice cream," Ushijima said, knowing Oikawa was right.

"You'll get used to it," Oikawa replied. He reached for Ushijima's hand and dragged him up. They started to walk back towards the dorms, no words being exchanged between them. "Iwa-chan's buying!" Oikawa cheered. 

"Hey, I never agreed to this," Iwaizumi complained jokingly. 

Ushijima had never felt this way before. Oikawa's hand left his after a few seconds, but the tingling remained. He balled his hand into a fist, trying to grab hold of some of the warmth left behind, not really knowing why.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics means flashback.

Oikawa would certainly kill him. There was no way he wouldn't. He would tear Iwaizumi to shreds, and Iwaizumi understood why. What Iwaizumi couldn't understand was why he was feeling this way? Why now? Why for **that** person. It was bad enough to have developed a crush in college, but it was so much worse to have a crush on your best friend's worst enemy. 

It started simple. Iwaizumi and Ushijima started to go to more dinner dates. Oikawa would sometimes join in reluctantly but was certainly not a happy camper about the whole situation. Iwaizumi started to realize that Ushijima and himself shared a lot of the same interests, motivations, and dislikes. He secretly wished that he and Ushijima were not so alike.

And then, things got worse. Iwaizumi started to notice more. For instance, he started to note how Ushijima would get embarrassed every time he didn't understand a reference. How the normally reserved boy would become a chatterbox with the mention of certain topics, letting words flow out of his mouth as water flows out of a river. But these instances were few and far between and always left Ushijima a little bit more timid, which was a sight to behold. Iwaizumi began to realize that everything in Ushijima's life had a purpose. This was something he tried to adjust for by introducing the other to 'fun activities' but Ushijma found all that a waste of time, much to Iwaizumi's dismay. But he figured that karaoke wasn't for everyone. 

Iwaizumi felt himself gravitating towards Ushijima more and more. He began to cherish spending time with the other boy. Ushijima was now becoming more open to it too. Instead of avoiding Iwaizumi, Ushijima would oblige his request to hang out. 

Iwaizumi began to notice things about himself also. He became aware of how his body would tense up every time the other was in the room. He became more vigilant of his words when he was around the other, not wanting to make a fool of himself or saying something that could offend the other. He began to subconsciously put on an act, a persona for Ushijima to draw the other in. He wished Ushijima would say something to piss him off. He wished Ushijima would get angry at him or get bored of him and find someone else. But Iwaizumi also learned that Ushijima is patient and more than willing to put up with his antics. He hated that. 

He hated all of this. He didn't want to feel this way. He **couldn't** feel this way. Iwaizumi didn't want to deal with the guilt of hurting his best friend. He couldn't risk his relationship with Oikawa for some petty feelings he didn't even understand. He knew Oikawa would never do such a thing to him, in fact, he had seen it happen. 

_"So, what are you going to say to her?" Oikawa and Iwaizumi were sitting in their class. Oikawa was turned backward in his chair so he could face Iwaizumi. It was lunchtime and the two were discussing a love note Oikawa had received. This would usually not be a point of discussion since it was a normal occurrence, but this time the note was from a girl Iwaizumi had grown fond of. Everyone in their grade was interested in her._

_"Do you like her Iwa-chan?" Oikawa asked._

_"Hmm." Iwaizumi felt no need to lie. Oikawa always knew when Iwaizumi had a crush, so there would be no point anyway._

_"How can I say yes to her if it will hurt Iwa-chan?" Oikawa said. It was a simple question but it made Iwaizumi's heart swell to the point where he thought it would burst out of his throat. They didn't talk about this again._

Iwaizumi still remembered and he felt the same. How could he say yes to his feelings if they would hurt Oikawa? The answer was: he couldn't. 

* * *

Oikawa Tooru is many things, but one thing he is not is gullible. Especially when it comes to Iwaizumi. Something was up with his best friend and he needed to know what. At first Iwaizumi's interactions with Ushijima truly did seem like an attempt to build a cordial bridge with their roommate, but it was more than that now. 

They were having lunch when Oikawa first saw the smile on Iwaizumi's face. Usually, it was Oikawa dominating their conversations with a few sprinkles of insults from Iwaizumi. But that day, Iwaizumi could not stop talking. As much as Oikawa loved to hear Iwazumi's voice, the subject of the conversation was Ushijima. Oikawa could not understand why. 

Then Oikawa began to notice the way Iwaizumi would intently listen in to every word Ushijima had to say. Ushijima certainly didn't notice, but Oikawa did because he knew everything there was to know about Iwaizumi. The Iwaizumi that Oikawa knew would rarely give others the time of day like this. He had seen it happen before when Iwaizumi was wholly into someone, but that couldn't be the case here. Oikawa had convinced himself of that. 

Oikawa debated with himself. Should he say something? It wasn't his place. Even though they were best friends, they never meddled into each other's personal affairs. Iwaizumi had always provided Oikawa with that privacy and it would only be fair for Oikawa to return the favor. But jealousy is a disease and at the moment Oikawa had all the symptoms. The infection was coursing through his body, infecting every aspect of his life. He needed to do something before the damage was irreparable. 

* * *

Summer was coming to a close and the autumn breeze was quickly replacing the hot air. 

Iwaizumi and Ushijima were sitting comfortably in their room, letting the wind in to cool down from the day. The two focused on their homework with little exchange between them. Oikawa was out spending time with his other friends. 

"I quite like this time of year," Ushijima said out of the blue. Just Ushijima's voice was enough to stir Iwaizumi these days. He tried not to focus on it. 

"Hmm," Iwaizumi replied simply. He heard as a ring came from the other side of the room with Ushijima quickly picking up the phone. Tendou was on the line. 

"Wakatoshi-Kun, you won't believe what happened!" Iwaizumi knew he shouldn't listen in, but he felt compelled to. Tendou was talking loud enough for him to hear anyway.

"What is it Satori?" Ushijima asked plainly. 

"I kissed someone. It was kind of weird." Tendou proceeded to give gross details about the encounter, which Ushijima listened to, only to shut him down with the fact that Tendou shouldn't share such things with others. 

The conversation left Iwaizumi's mind wondering. That was never a good thing. He felt his heart start to race. The phone call was short, and pretty soon it was over. 

"I am sorry for the interruption," Ushijima said, but Iwaizumi had other things on his mind. 

"So Ushijima, have you ever kissed anyone?" Iwaizumi asked. He didn't know what he was doing. 

There was a long pause before Ushijima spoke up. "I have not." 

For some reason, Iwaizumi found this to be very cute. Someone as popular and handsome as Ushijima couldn't even get a kiss. He was surprised when Ushijima asked him the same question, not thinking of the other as someone who wanted to discuss such matters. 

"I have," Iwaizumi said proudly. It wasn't very many times, but it did happen. 

"Was it with Oikawa?" Now this question came out of left field for Iwaizumi. 

"No, why?" The thought of kissing Oikawa was weird to Iwaizumi. He couldn't imagine it. It made his body heat up. 

"You two seem very couple like," Ushijima replied boldly. Iwaizumi could see this, and he knew Ushijima wasn't the first to think this way, but he was also annoyed that Ushijima saw him this way. 

"Well, we are not," Iwaizumi said sternly, putting any such thoughts in Ushijima's head to rest. 

An awkward silence fell over them. Iwaizumi decided to get up and stretch. It was at the same time when Iwaizumi realized that he couldn't simply drop such precious information about the other boy. 

"So, Ushijima, isn't there anyone in the world you would like to share a smooch with?" Iwaizumi teased. 

Ushijima turned around and looked at the other boy. "Please refrain from calling it that." It was almost enough to make Ushijima cringe. 

"What will you do when you have to kiss your girlfriend and you don't know how to do it?" Iwaizumi teased. 

"That will not happen," Ushijima said. Iwaizumi was confused by this response. 

"But what if it does?" he continued to push, full-on teasing now. 

Ushijima looked Iwaizumi dead in the eyes. "Are you interested in helping me learn then?" 

Iwaizumi felt his whole body freeze. He felt light-headed. Was Ushijima joking with him? He didn't seem like the type. 

They both looked at each other intently. It wasn't clear who made the first move, but Ushijima's hands had found their way onto Iwaizumi's cheeks. Their lips met each other's and passion took over from there. Iwaizumi wanted to feel guilty that he was doing what he told himself he wouldn't, but he couldn't think of much right now. For someone who had never kissed before, Ushijima did a very good job of letting Iwaizumi melt right into him. 

The two were so absorbed that they didn't hear the door opening. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics: flashback

_Oikawa was there when Iwaizumi had his first kiss. Of course, Iwaizumi knew nothing of this. It was a secret Oikawa would take with him to the grave, besides, he didn't mean to look. He just happened to be in the right place at the right time._

_It was back in their final year of middle school. Oikawa went to fetch Iwaizumi after school so that they could walk home together, but to his surprise, Iwaizumi was nowhere to be found. Oikawa gave up pretty easily, thinking Iwaizumi had just gone home early. It happened from time to time._

_He didn't remember what it was that day that made him back to the classroom. Maybe it was thinking that he had some cleaning duties or maybe he had forgotten something in there, but none of that would end up mattering._

_Oikawa remembered the voices from the classroom being soft. Hushed almost to a whisper. He remembered being intrigued. Not many kids liked to stick around after school, especially in the classrooms._

_He took an innocent peak. At first, it was hard to make out the figures, but pretty soon the scene before him became crystal clear. It was Iwaiumi with some girl. They were kissing. Oikawa could tell it was their first time looking at how sloppy it was and how nervous the two were. They were practically fidgeting._

_Oikawa couldn't help but laugh. He had to cover his mouth so he wouldn't do it out loud. He would always try to show off in from of Iwaizumi. A new girl here, a new crush there, a kiss on the cheeks, a kiss on the lips. Anything to make the other boy notice him more. Oikawa assumed that this was the universe's punishment for that._

_He promptly began to back away. Eventually, he would make it out of the school, away from Iwaizumi, away from everything he had seen. And so, he walked home. Alone._

_Learning, for the first time in his life, what jealousy means._

* * *

Oikawa closed the door slowly. He stood, still, in the hallway outside their dorm room. 

Iwaizumi was kissing Ushijima. He had to repeat this over and over in his head so as to make sure what he had just seen was real. 

He didn't know how to feel. Anger? What gave him the right to be angry? The fact that his best friend was making out with the person he despises the most? But it was Oikawa's fault. He knew something was up. He felt it. He always knows these things with Iwaizumi, and he did nothing.

Should he feel sad? For what? The fact that he's losing his best friend right in front of his eyes? That's quite selfish.

Maybe pity was the right feeling. Not at Iwaizumi, but at himself. He was pitiful. Weak. He let things get to him too easily. It's only a simple kiss. It was a simple kiss all those years ago too. 

Then, perhaps, what Oikawa should feel is nothing. After all, who was he to control someone else's feelings? Who was he to drag Iwaizumi down with him into a path of anger and hatred towards other people? Perhaps Iwaizumi didn't care. He didn't care that Oikawa had problems with Ushijima. He didn't care about all the things Ushijima had said about Oikawa. He didn't care that Ushijima single-handedly crushed their team spirit all throughout high school. But Oikawa couldn't believe this. Iwa-chan always cared. 

Or maybe he just pretended to.

Maybe Ushijima is right. Maybe he is better than Oikawa. Maybe that's why Iwaizumi prefers him. It seemed simple enough. Oikawa was being replaced. He could name the feelings now. Hurt. Pain. Jealousy. Fear. 

Oikawa couldn't laugh this time, it hurt too much to force himself too. And he wouldn't cry, not over any man. He was hurting, but this too would pass. 

He began to walk away, not planning to return for the night. 

This too would pass. 

* * *

Iwaizumi didn't know when it started to get more intense. The kiss had turned rougher, more ferocious. Pretty soon it went from lips to neck. He couldn't think anything, his mind was a buzz. His heart was beating faster than it ever had as if it had gained new life. Put simply, he just felt happy. And then it abruptly stopped. 

He opened his eyes, not even knowing he had closed them and look down at Ushijima, whose face was blushed pink. Cute, Iwaizumi thought. 

"I-I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me," Ushijima said. Ushijima, in all his life, had never done anything like this before. He certainly didn't think his first kiss would be with a boy, though he had an inkling that he was not entirely attracted to women. But to go as far as to make out with his rival school's ace, that was something Ushijima couldn't even dream off. In fact, he was still unsure how they got in this position. 

Iwaizumi was still for a second before he realized he was practically on Ushijima's lap. "Yeah, I'm sorry too." He wasn't. "Let's just forget about it okay?" He didn't want to. 

Ushijima nodded his head, agreeing to the notion. That hurt Iwaizumi a bit, but he let it go. He didn't know what he was expecting. 

The air became a little more intense after that, but not by much. 

* * *

It was 3 AM. Iwaizumi was absolutely restless walking from one side to the other. Ushijima didn't know how to help the boy, but he couldn't stand watching him like this anymore. 

"Iwaizumi, what is the problem." 

"Oikawa's not back, and his phone keeps going to voicemail," Iwaizumi said. "Here listen to this." 

Iwaizumi clicked the call button for the fifth time that night. 

"You have reached me, Oikawa Tooru. Please leave a message after the beep. beeeeep." Oikawa's high pitched voice came through the other end of the line. 

"That's his voicemail?" Ushijima asked, finding it weird. 

"Yes, but that's not the point. He hasn't picked up, and it's really late," Iwaizumi said. 

"It is quite concerning," Ushijima agreed. "Try to call him one more time, if he does not pick up we can contact campus authority," Ushijima suggested. 

Iwaizumi thought about this. "No, I'll go look for him myself. He'll be pissed if we call security for no reason. You should go to sleep, sorry for waking you." But Ushijima would not go to sleep, not while Iwaizumi was like this. 

Iwaizumi dialed Oikawa's number one last time. This time, it didn't go straight to voice mail. After three long rings, it was finally picked up. 

"Iwa-" Oikawa didn't get a chance to finish. 

"Where are you Shittykawa?" Iwaizumi allowed the anger to flow freely from his voice. 

"Don't worry about it, I'm fine." Iwaizumi could tell he wasn't fine. Oikawa's voice sounded slurred, and he could hear other people's voices over the phone. 

"Are you drunk?" Iwaizumi asked plainly. Neither of them were strangers to alcohol, but it certainly wasn't something they did often. Usually, it was limited to a small drink for a celebration. It never got to the point where they were hammered. 

Oikawa didn't answer the question, so Iwaizumi asked another one. "Who are those people in the background?" 

"Just my friends. I'm hanging out with them. I'll be back early tomorrow okay?" Oikawa replied. 

Iwaizumi didn't like this. "Where are you?"

"I already said I'm with my friends, don't be annoying Iwa-chan." Iwaizumi could hear the annoyance rise in Oikawa's voice. 

"Fine, be like that," Seijou's ace said before hanging up. Iwaizumi let the anger get to him. He had half a heart to call Oikawa back, but he didn't want this to get more intense than it already was. It was just one night. Oikawa would be alright. Iwaizumi would talk to him tomorrow.

Ushijima gave a look to Iwaizumi, asking if he would be alright. Iwaizumi just smiled, feeling tingly from Ushijima's concern. "Let's head to bed." 

Ushijima complied, not wanting to further anger Iwaizumi. They went to bed, separately. The kiss was left behind in the past. Neither of them would talk about it. Everything was back to normal now. But Iwaizumi would not sleep tonight. 

* * *

Oikawa wished Iwaizumi wouldn't hang up. He wished his best friend would call him again. He wished Iwaizumi wouldn't be angry with him. 

He wondered if Iwaizumi would come to get him like they got Ushijima. But then Oikawa remembered. 

Iwaizumi doesn't care. Not about him. Not now. 

"Here you look like you need another one," Dave said, handing Oikawa another drink. 

Oikawa wanted to forget, so he drank, knowing it would bite back tomorrow. But that was a tomorrow problem. Right now he wanted to forget. "Thanks."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be updating every two weeks instead of every week do to my schedule right now. Might post more, but mostly going to stick to one every two weeks (twice a month). Hope that's alright.


	8. Chapter 8

Ushijima Wakatoshi may be one of the few people in the world who liked to jog at five in the morning. Other than the thumps of his feet hitting the pavement, the campus was dead silent. Ushijima didn't mind this, in fact, he preferred for things to be this way. Quiet. That was hard to find for the past day or so. With Oikawa not returning home the previous night, Iwaizumi was consumed with worry. This left Ushijima conflicted. He wanted to help Iwaizumi but didn't know how, so he decided space was the best thing the other ace needed. The morning jog was a good way for him to get away from all that and do something productive, though his mind still lingered on Iwaizumi. 

Ushijima didn't understand why that was. He had been thinking of the boy a lot. Perhaps it was because the other boy had been his first kiss. He bet that that was something not even Tendou would be able to predict. Even more, Ushijima didn't hate it. 

He shook his head, trying to physically remove the thoughts from his mind. He knew this was pointless. 

The ace continued to jog, not yet feeling out of breath. His stamina was still there, which would prove useful for the upcoming volleyball tryouts. It was going to be a weird experience. Playing on the same team as his past rivals. Ushijima had always wanted Oikawa on his team, and he had no problems voicing this, but to be doing it in a couple of days was a strange thought. Ushijima hoped everything was cleared between Iwaizumi and Oikawa by then. 

Ushijima was keeping a good pace was only to be interrupted by a phone call. He was slightly annoyed, not wanting his training to be disrupted. Seeing Tendou's number intrigued Ushijima enough to pick up the call since his former teammate was not one to get up early. 

"Hello," Ushijima said plainly. Luckily, Ushijima had entered the area near a cafe and could take a seat to have his conversation with Tendou. The cold autumn wind provided a nice contrast to the hot sweat that covered his body. 

"Wakatoshi-Kun, goood morning," Tendou said. "I'm so bored."

"Is that why you called?" Ushijima asked, not trying to hide the irritation from his voice. 

"Now, now, Wakatoshi-Kun, don't be angry. I'm just calling to check up on you. How have you been, how are your classes, all that fun stuff." 

Ushijima sighed knowing there's no point in fighting it. "Everything has been going alright. The only problem currently is that Oikawa and Iwaizumi are in a bit of a fight. I do not know what caused it." 

"Ouu, drama, tell me more!" Tendou loved relationship drama. It was one of the very few exciting things in life. 

"I do not have any more details. All that has happened is Oikawa has refused to come home. Iwaizumi is stressed about this." Normally Ushijima didn't like to share so much of his life, especially when it didn't particularly concern him. "It has been worrying me," Ushijima admitted. He didn't know why he admitted it, but he did. Maybe he felt comfortable enough to admit these things to Tendou. 

"Wow, I've never seen you worried about anyone," Tendou said, almost as if he was asking a question. Ushijima stayed silent, not really knowing how to respond. "Does Wakatoshi-Kun have another crush?" 

Tendou and Ushijima are usually plain with each other when it came to these things. There wasn't much in the category to share, but once or twice such conversations were warranted. 

"I do not," was Ushijima's response. 

There was silence on the line before Tendou spoke up again. "Really? Then why are you worried?" 

That was easy to answer. "I do not want Iwaizumi to be stressed out. That may affect his health, school, and his playing abilities as the tryout." 

What Ushijima didn't understand was that he was essentially ratting himself out. Caring for someone, so much. He was being an open book, and it showed. "To me, Wakatoshi-Kun, it sounds like you need to talk to him. You might get something out of it." Tendou's voice sounded a little too playful. 

Ushijima didn't fully understand what Tendou meant by that. Things were too tense to talk with Iwaizumi anyway. "I'll talk to you later," the ace said after a few moments of silence. He let Tendou say his goodbye's before promptly hanging up the phone. 

Ushijima would have time on his jog back to think over what his friend had told him to do. 

* * *

It was six by the time Ushijima returned to the dorm. The sound of the shower going was the first thing to catch Ushijima's attention, as it signaled that Iwaizumi was awake. This wasn't too unusual but Ushijima knew that Iwaizumi didn't have class until noon that day. With everything going on though, he understood why Iwaizumi might have just wanted to get a head start. To figure things out. 

Ushijima waited only a few minutes in his dorm before he heard the water turn off. It wasn't long before Iwaizumi walked in with only a lazy towel covering him. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd come back so soon," Iwaizumi said. From the dark spots under his eyes, Ushijima could tell the boy had had a rough night. Oikawa really a lot to him, and it shows. 

Iwaizumi didn't make any move to head back to the showers to change. Instead, he picked a corner that was away from where Ushijima was sitting. Ushijima followed his every move. "Don't look," Iwaizumi said lightheartedly. 

"I had no intention to," Ushijima said, turning his attention to his phone.

Iwaizumi let out a small laugh at that. "Sure Ushijima."

Ushijima didn't know why his chest felt so tight. It was almost a little hard to breathe. "You are up early," he said, trying to make light talk to distract himself from the weird feeling. 

"Yuh, couldn't really sleep. I'm just, worried about him, you know?" Iwaizumi walked back, now fully dressed. It was a little difficult to make out Iwaizumi's full form in the dark. 

"Did you hear anything else form him?" Ushijima asked. He couldn't help but be concerned about Oikawa himself. 

"No." Iwaizumi looked down, trying to keep his breathing under control. 

Oikawa and Iwaizumi had fought before. But it had never been like this. Oikawa never just walked away. The worst part about it was that Iwaizumi didn't even know why this was happening. He couldn't understand what he had done wrong. 

Ushijima couldn't stand to watch Iwaizumi like this. It reminded him of that time when he saw Goshiki crying. He felt the need to comfort the boy at the time but didn't know how to. This was like that, but it was also different. Ushijima was letting his intuition lead him on all things Iwaizumi. He wasn't used to this. 

He got up from where he was sitting and managed to walk over to Iwaizumi. The two stared at each other, not saying a word, not knowing what to do from here. Until now, it had never dawned on Ushijima just how much shorter the other ace was from him. He thought back to the kiss, wondering if he should try that again. Now just didn't seem like the time though. Ushijima still wanted to figure all of that out. To his surprise, Iwaizumi was the one to make the first move. 

"Sorry, I know this is weird but just let me be like this for a second." Iwaizumi had his hands wrapped around Ushijima's shoulder. His head was firm on the other's chest. Iwaizumi had learned this trick from Oikawa. Thinking back to the times when just one hug from the setter would make everything better, not that Iwaizumi would ever admit it. Iwaizumi and Ushijima had only known each other for a couple of months, and already it had turned into this. Neither of them had expected it to be like that. 

Ushijima was taken aback. He wasn't particularly fond of physical contact like this, but with Iwaizumi, he didn't mind. He reached out and held the smaller ace tight to him. Ushijima thought back to what Tendou told him. He wanted to express this. His feelings. But he didn't know how to articulate it. 

"Iwaizumi-" he began to say before he felt a buzzing. It was coming from Iwaizumi's phone. The boy pushed himself aside to look at his phone. 

"I'm sorry, it's Oikawa. I have to go." 

Ushijima watched as the other boy ran out of the room, his words dying before they were ever spoken. 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a slow chapter. I have a break from school next week, so will try to get out multiple updates then.


	9. Chapter 9

Iwaizumi didn't know how fast he was running, just that everything was a blur around him. After yesterday's phone conversation, this was the first time Oikawa had contacted him again. The message simply read, 'come to the bridge, I want to talk.' It didn't sound like Oikawa but Iwaizumi would take anything he could get.

It didn't take long for Iwaizumi to get to the entrance of the red bridge, which looked over the University's small duck pond. It was a relatively peaceful place and slightly chilly due to the morning weather, but right now Iwaizumi felt anything but peaceful. He walked further up the bridge, trying to catch his breath. Iwaizumi was in pretty good shape, but even for him, running suddenly like that wasn't easy. 

Oikawa was seated on the edge of the bridge, his feet hanging out towards the water. The setter did not flinch when Iwaizumi came up to him. 

"Oikawa, where were you?" was the first question Iwaizumi asked. Oikawa didn't look at him. "Look, can you just tell me why you're mad at me?" Iwaizumi asked, getting to the real things. 

"I'm not mad at you," Oikawa finally spoke up with a sigh. "I don't have the right to be." Silence fell over them with Iwaizumi trying to understand the words. "Iwa-chan, I saw everything," Oikawa confessed, not knowing if that was the right thing to say. His mind was still foggy from yesterday night. It took everything in his being to sit here right now despite his raging headache. But this needed to happen. 

Iwaizumi was still confused. "What are you talking about Oikawa? What did you see? Look, if this is about me using your expensive face creams I'm sorry, I'll pay you back." 

Oikawa felt something he could only describe as anger. Was his best friend really that dense? Did he really think Oikawa was some emotional baby to be angry over something as small as that? "It's not about that." Oikawa tried to keep some level of calmness in his speech. He came here not to get angry, but to explain what he was going to do. "Iwa-chan, I saw you and-" Oikawa had a hard time even verbalizing what he wanted to say. "I saw you and Ushijima," he said finally. Oikawa wanted to erase the images that came into his mind just from saying that. 

When the silence lasted longer than he expected, Oikawa looked over to Iwaizumi. The shocked look on the boy's face seemed stuck in place. "O-" Iwaizumi tried to speak, but his mouth was so dry he couldn't even get the words out. His chest was pounding so hard it hurt. Everything Iwaizumi was worried about was happening right before him. 

"You don't have to explain it Iwa-chan. It's not my business who-" Oikawa had to pause again. He looked away. "It's not my business who you like." It was still silent so Oikawa decided to ask a question this time. "Are you two dating?" He didn't want to think about it, but he knew he couldn't find peace until he knew. 

Iwaizumi spoke up. "Oikawa, listen to me, it's not like that," he tried to explain but Oikawa was having none of it. 

"It's okay Iwa-chan, you don't have to lie. If you like Ushijima than it's fine. Do you like him?" Oikawa asked. Iwaizumi didn't need to answer. Those eyes that couldn't even look at Oikawa right now gave away the answer. Something in Oikawa's heart tugged. He wished he didn't ask, but now he knew and there was no going back from this. It wouldn't end their friendship. It wouldn't make Oikawa like Iwaizumi any less. It wouldn't make Oikawa think of Ushijima differently. But everything had changed now, and there was no going back.

"Oikawa, I'm so sorry," was all Iwaizumi managed to get out of his mouth. He was selfish. He was stupid. He did things without thinking them through. He did what he told himself he wouldn't do. He hurt his best friend and Iwaizumi knew he would never recover from that. All he could say then was an apology. "I won't do it again. I don't know what came over me. It all just kind of happened really fast. Trust me, I hate feeling like this. I don't want you to be angry at me. I know you don't like him, I don't know why I do. Fuck. I'm dealing with a lot right now, and it just kind of happened," Iwaizumi rambled. He wasn't done. He had so much to say. "I'm not going to date him. I won't even look at him. I know I'm disgusting, I'm sorry. I know you would never do this to me, and I never wanted to do this to you, I promise. It won't happen again." 

Oikawa had known Iwaizumi for most of his life. In all that time, he never heard the other ramble on like this. In a way, it was calming. It made Oikawa feel like Iwaizumi did care for him. He knew it was stupid to think that the ace didn't. The idiot was standing here, this early in the morning, begging for forgiveness. Someone who didn't care wouldn't do this. 

But it wasn't about forgiveness. Iwaizumi had done nothing wrong. There was nothing to forgive. 

But Oikawa knew that things were different now. All that had been said, all that had been seen, all that had been done could not be reversed. 

He knew what he was going to say was going to hurt Iwaizumi a lot, probably more than he could ever imagine, but Oikawa had to do what he felt was right. 

"Iwa-chan, I'm going to ask for a room change. My friend has extra space available, and he said I can move in." 

"No, you're not." Iwaizumi didn't even need a second to think about it. His head was all clear now. 

Oikawa knew to expect this, but the sudden sternness in Iwaizumi's voice was a shock. He was ready to speak up again, but Iwaizumi beat him to it. 

"Look, I know I fucked up okay? Be mad at me, beat me, do whatever. Just-," Iwaizumi knew he was going to sound sappy, but he had to say it. "Just don't leave." 

"Jesus Iwa-chan, have you ever thought that not everything revolves around you? That maybe I'm doing this because I want to live with my other friend?" 

"Don't lie Oikawa, you know you suck at it. This is about me. You're mad that I kissed Ushijima. I get it. I'm sorry. How many times do you want me to say it, idiot? I fucked up, but that doesn't mean you just walk away. We don't do that, remember? " Iwaizumi didn't know why, but all their old memories started to play through his head. 

"Iwa-chan, I'm doing this, and that's final. I'm not walking away from you. I'm not mad at you. And I don't want you to stop liking Ushijima because I'm in the picture. You are your own person." When the other boy didn't say anything, Oikawa continued to talk. "We're still going to be friends. I'm still going to go to lunch with you. I still care for you. I just... I just need some space right now." 

Iwaizumi knew then that it didn't matter what he said. The other boy had made up his mind. Oikawa was going to move out of the dorm and that was final. Since there was nothing to say, Iwaizumi just remained silent. 

"I'll pick up my stuff a bit later. I'll text you, okay?" Oikawa said, mustering up the fakest smile he could give to Iwaizumi. 

Iwaizumi was in no mood to smile back. But if things were going to be like this, he might as well get on with the program. With the overwhelming silence falling over them, the last thing he thought to say was "okay." It wasn't what he wanted to say. He wanted to fight, he was heated after all. He didn't want to give up, not on his relationship with Oikawa. The other presented a scenario where they would still be close, but in no way was that picture being created. 

He didn't know why nothing more was coming out, but after a while, it was clear that all that had to be said, at this moment, had been said already. No explanations, nothing deep. Just a one and done deal. It wasn't what either of them wanted, but it was all any of them could muster up. 

Iwaizumi wasn't sure if he was even breathing anymore. He didn't feel like he was even in his body. Everything around him felt unreal. This felt like a dream. But he knew this was real life. This was worse than any nightmare could ever be. This was the consequence of his actions. 

* * *

The two drifted apart, not sharing a word between each other. 

The walk back to Iwaizumi's dorm felt long, but he needed the cool breeze to clear off some of his thoughts. Unfortunately, it didn't clear anything off. 

He didn't know when he reached his apartment, just that when he got in, Ushijima was there waiting for him. 

Iwaizumi looked at the other boy. Yup, it was still there. Those feelings. Those feelings he hated so much. But now, something else was there as well. A hot feeling that could only be named anger. Iwaizumi knew that being angry at Ushijima was just a deflection from being angry at himself, which he was, but he couldn't help getting this burning sensation every time he looked at Ushijima. So, he looked away. Like he probably should have that day. 

"Is everything alright? What happened with Oikawa? Is he alright?" Iwaizumi didn't need this right now. He didn't want to talk. Not to Ushijima. Not right now. 

"He's moving in with someone else. He should be by to pick his stuff this afternoon." 

This came as a complete shock to Ushijima. What was even more strange was the fact that Iwaizumi didn't sound shocked. Ushijima supposed this is because this would be the second time around the other boy was hearing this. 

"Why?" Ushijima asked curiously. Everything seemed fine between Iwaizumi and Oikawa before the latter decided not to come back. 

"Because I'm a fuck up." 

Ushijima didn't like that. He didn't like Iwaizumi talking down on himself. He could tell that the other was in a lot of pain right now. "I don't think you are," he said, trying to offer something to the other. 

"Of course you don't." The tone in Iwaizumi's voice made it sound as if he didn't believe Ushijima, so Ushijima clarified. 

"I do not." 

"Cut the crap Ushijima. I don't need your pity right now. I don't need your pity on the court, and I don't need it in my life." Ushijima didn't know where this was coming from, and truth be told, Iwaizumi didn't either. He was angry. He was saying whatever was coming to his mind, coherent or not. 

Ushijima didn't say anything, knowing Iwaizumi was going through a lot right now. His words probably weren't what the other needed anyway. Besides, Ushijima wasn't good at these things. He watched as the other walked over to his bed and lied down, covering himself completely with his blanket. And with that, the conversation was over. 

* * *

Ushijima was the only one in the room when Oikawa came by to pick up his stuff. Oikawa wasn't alone. 

"Ushijima, this is Dave," was all Oikawa offered. Ushijima didn't push any further and just let the two of them work in the room. He still didn't know why this was happening, but judging by the fact that Oikawa wouldn't even look at him, it might be his fault as well. 

Ushijima heard all the bustling behind him, the light talk the two shared as they moved Oikawa's stuff. It annoyed him. He couldn't identify why, but it did. 

As Ushijima watched the stuff being taken out, he was glad Iwaizumi wasn't there. He shouldn't have to see this. It would be too painful. Even for Ushijima, the movement of stuff carried a little sting. The room was already starting to feel empty. It honestly shouldn't. The room was made for two people, but the three of them had gotten used to each other in the small space. One person leaving, turning the room into a normal dorm, just didn't feel right. Losing such a big personality was something that Ushijima knew would not go unnoticed. 

"That should be all of it," Oikawa cheered. He turned to Ushijima. They looked at each other, but in the end, they decided not saying anything was fine. 

* * *

When Iwaizumi came back that night, the sight was more visibly shocking than even he could prepare for. Their room looked barren. Ushijima had probably gone out, so Iwaizumi had a chance to take it all in. He did so with a deep breath of the dusty air that did nothing to fill up his lungs. 

Iwaizumi took a walk around the room. He noticed little things here and there that Oikawa had left behind and would probably come back for. Iwaizumi considered returning the things himself when he realized that he didn't even know where Oikawa had moved to. He sat down on his edge of the bed, the third bed in the room basically being useless now. Just something to take up extra space. 

This room felt different. Like something Iwaizumi needed to explore. So that's what he did. He looked around at the different drawers to see what Oikawa had left behind, to put them all in one place for the other to get. The last drawer he opened had some of Oikawa's homework and other papers stuffed in. Iwaizumi looked through them, laughing slightly at the other boy's antics.

It hurt. Iwaizumi knew Oikawa was close by. That with one phone call, the other would be rushing to him, still, even though he messed up. But college was something they were supposed to go through together. That was all Iwaizumi could think about come the third year of high school, and when it dawned on him that it was unlikely, Iwaizumi felt this same level of emptiness as it did now. Going to the same college as the one person who means most to you doesn't matter when they're shacked up with someone else. But Iwaziumi deserved it. For his mistake, he did.

But what was worse was that even though he wanted to regret his kiss with Ushijima, even though it led to all of this drama, he couldn't hate it. Every time he thought back to it, it gave him a sense of comfort. It didn't make sense to Iwaizumi how something so comforting, and warm could tear apart everything so easily. But he knew all along, didn't he? He was walking into the lion's den. How could he not expect to get bitten?

Iwaizumi tried to clear his head of these thoughts by reading more of Oikawa's left behind papers.

The last paper in the pile was a letter. It was one of those college letters that inform students of their admissions. Looking at the logo, Iwaizumi remembered this being the elite volleyball school Oikawa had applied to. It didn't make sense because Oikawa had told him that he didn't get it, but this letter was one of acceptance. He looked through the letter again, reading it to make sure he wasn't wrong. 

Then it dawned on him what Oikawa had done. 

Iwaizumi felt stupid. He felt guilty. He was useless and impulsive. He felt the weight of shame crashing on his shoulder. He felt his heart tearing up. And for the first time in years, he felt a sting at the corner of his eyes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter coming up next!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very sorry for the late update! I have been going through a difficult patch in my life, so it has been hard to focus on this story. I haven't abandoned it! But I will apologize in advance if this happens again.

A week. That's how long it had been. Iwaizumi still only spoke a word or two to him and Ushijima wondered why.

Was it the Oikawa thing? Was Iwaizumi still processing that? Maybe. 

Or was it something else entirely? Had Ushijima been too much for Iwaizumi? Had the realization of the kiss they shared finally hit the other ace? Maybe. 

All Ushijima knew was that the tryouts tomorrow would be awkward. Communication was everything in volleyball, and right now, there was none of that between Oikawa, Iwaizumi, and himself. Ushijima let his head fall into his palms as he just sat on his desk, thinking. 

"You alright?" he heard after the door to the dorm opened. 

"I am okay," he replied to Iwaizumi, watching as the other boy put down his stuff. That was it. That would be all they would share for the day. Ushijima could tell by the way Iwaizumi avoided his eyes. 

"I'm going out to dinner with Oikawa tonight," Iwaizumi added, still not looking at Ushijima. 

This was a shock. Had everything been sorted out? Ushijima was under the impression that the two weren't communicating, but maybe he had misjudged. Ushijima half waited for Iwaizumi to ask him if he would like to join, but Iwaizumi didn't do that. He simply walked out the same way he entered. Not even a 'bye' was exchanged. 

It stung a bit. But Ushijima supposed that it shouldn't. He was the odd man out. It was natural for the two of them to find their way back to each other. And maybe, what that meant, was going back to the way things originally were. Without him. 

Ushijima wanted to skip dinner. He didn't have an appetite anymore. But he supposed it was worth eating something to fuel himself for tomorrow. It was weird really. Iwaizumi and Ushijima stopped having their dinner together for a few days now, but it still felt weird for Ushijima to eat without the other. But what's one more night. 

* * *

Iwaizumi and Oikawa had resumed texting about three days after Oikawa moved out. Like always, it was the setter who made the first move. And what's more fitting then: 'Iwa-chan, I still haven't finished my English paper' followed by an ungodly amount of emojis. 

Iwaizumi thought about that day as he walked down the campus, which was still wet from the rain that hit hours earlier. Iwaizumi hated weather like this but here he was walking through gross puddles to go see Shitty-kawa. 

He was still not over everything that had happened but acknowledging that was painful. Acknowledging the fact that he was now taking out all of his frustrations on Ushijima was even more so. 

Iwaizumi felt terrible. He wanted to fix this. But right now, he was not in the right state to do so. Every time he looked at Ushijima, he thought back to their kiss. He thought back to the way Ushijima gently hugged him. But he also thought back to Oikawa. That letter. How much his best friend had given up for him. All for Iwaizumi to be selfish in his desires. Iwaizumi felt torn, so he did what he knew how to do best. He ignored. For now, because he knew he had to confront it. His feelings for Ushijima. His relationship with Oikawa. Everything. But tonight certainly wasn't the night for any of this. 

His thoughts carried him to the small cafe he and Oikawa would be meeting tonight. This felt nice. Piecing things back to how they were before. Iwaizumi ignored the incomplete feeling that came along with it. He just wanted to enjoy tonight. He didn't want to think. 

* * *

"Iwa-chan, hello!" Oikawa said his usual cheery self. 

"Hey Oikawa, nice to finally see you, I was turning into bones waiting for you." 

"I was only a few minutes late," Oikawa said, exaggerating with his tone. 

"More like 10," Iwaizumi clarified. That's when he noticed the other boy standing beside Oikawa. 

"Oh Iwa-chan, this is Dave," Oikawa said, pointing to the other boy. The boy waved at Iwaizumi, who just flashed a fake smile back. "Dave, can you get me what I usually order? You know, since Iwa-chan decided to order for himself without waiting for us?" Oikawa teased. 

Iwaizumi thought it would just be them. But he was wrong. 

"I didn't want to starve waiting for you," Iwaizumi teased as Dave walked to get the order. Oikawa sat down opposite to Iwaizumi, looking out the window. It was drizzling. "I thought we would be alone," Iwaizumi said, trying to hide the annoyance. 

"I just thought it would be good for you guys to meet. I am living with him now, after all," Oikawa responded simply. 

"Are you two like a thing or something?" Iwaizumi asked without thinking. 

Oikawa didn't hesitate to respond. "He hasn't asked me out." That wasn't really the question, but Iwaizumi didn't want to pry more. 

"What about you and Ushijima?" Oikawa said, picking some fries off of Iwaizumi's plate. If Iwaizumi didn't know any better, he would think Oikawa was trying to open old wounds. But Iwaizumi knew better, and he knew his friend just wanted to know. 

"Oikawa, I already told you I won't be dating him. Let's drop it, okay?" 

"Fine."

"So, how is living in the new dorm?" Iwaizumi didn't want to know really, but this felt like a natural way to move on. 

"it's pretty alright. Dave uses it as his photography location, so there's a lot of people there sometimes." Iwaizumi knew Oikawa would hate that. The other was sugarcoating with the 'alright'. "Dave has been using me in a lot of his pieces. He says I'm the perfect artwork. He knows me so well," Oikawa said sarcastically.

"I'm sure he does," Iwaizumi said, causing Oikawa to roll his eyes. 

"Iwa-chan, do you have to be jealous of every new friend I make?" Oikawa questioned. 

"Oh, like you are of mine? Remember that one kid in elementary school that I sat next to on the bus instead of you? You sulked the whole way on that trip!" That drew out a genuine laugh from both of them. It was nice to hear. This felt normal. 

By that time, Dave had walked over with two plates of food, laying down the sandwich next to Oikawa and something for himself on his side. "Vegetarian sandwich with extra mayo," he said as if to show off to Iwaizumi. 

The ace had to stop himself from laughing. "Oikawa doesn't like mayo." Dave looked confused at this, getting ready to say something when Oikawa jumped in. 

"It's okay, I'm starting to like mayo," he said. Iwaizumi had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. 

Dave sat down with a weird expression, but Iwaizumi felt great. 

He knew Oikawa. Oikawa knew him. No amount of new 'friends' or lovers could replace or change that. 

In this way, the conversation continued. It was mostly between Iwaizumi and Oikawa, the setter taking the lead as always. It was as if Dave wasn't even there and that was just fine for Iwaizumi. 

"Iwa-chan, you wanna come over to my dorm? It's still drizzling, and my dorm is closer" Oikawa asked after the meal was finished. Dave made a face to suggest he didn't like that idea, so Iwaizumi replied 'yes'. 

They walked out into the rain, not at all in a rush. 

* * *

By the time the three walked to the dorm, it had already stopped raining. During this walk, Iwaizumi realized that it wasn't in his best interest to see where Oikawa was living now. He didn't want to ruin a good day by ending it like that. 

"Iwa-chan, what's wrong?" Oikawa asked, standing in front of the dimly lit front doors. 

"Um, can we talk, just us, out here," Iwaizumi asked. Oikawa looked a bit confused but nodded yes. Dave looked happy to walk away. 

"What's wrong Iwa-chan? You don't wanna come up to my room?" 

"I'll pass for now," Iwaizumi said, "but maybe another time." Iwaizumi didn't know exactly what he was going to say to Oikawa, but he knew he had to say something. This might even end up being the first little step to making sense of all of this mess. "I-I wanted to say sorry one last time. I know I've said it too much. But I know I hurt you, and I promise I will never do that again." 

"Iwa-chan, I told you already that you didn't have to do this," Oikawa said, not wanting to discuss this anymore. 

"Oikawa, I saw the letter." Iwaizumi wasn't sure if he would bring it up, but his mouth was moving faster than his mind. When Oikawa looked confused, he clarified. "The one from the University you told me you got rejected from." 

Oikawa's eyes grew wide. He stood silent to Iwaizumi continued. 

"You didn't have to do that. It was such a good opportunity for you to be a star volleyball player. But you came here, for me right?" Iwaizumi said. Oikawa nodded, not wanting any secrets. "Stupid Shitty-kawa. You're a star on the court, you know that? You're more talented than me and-"

Iwaizumi would have continued on, but Oikawa cut him off. "How can I be a star on the court if my ace isn't there with me?" 

Iwaizumi was frozen for a second before he moved to smack Oikawa in the head. "Stupid, how are you gonna get to the international stage with that attitude?" 

"With you," Oikawa said, holding Iwaizumi's hand. Iwaizumi knew he was being serious. The way Oikawa stared into Iwaizumi's eyes, it was as if there was nothing more certain than this.

Iwaizumi pushed away Oikawa's hand and then went on his tippy toes to place a kiss on Oikawa's forehead. "Thanks" Iwaizumi started "for being so stupid."

Oikawa was frozen. He wanted to hug Iwaizumi right there, but the other was already starting to walk away. 

"See you at tomorrow's tryouts, g'night" was the last thing the Ace said. 

"Goodnight," Oikawa said, still frozen in place. The frigid air was chilling him to the bone, but his forehead was still burning. 

Why the fuck did Iwaizumi have to go and do that? 

Oikawa's racing heartbeat provided the answer. 

* * *

Iwaizumi walked in, half expecting Ushijima to be asleep. It was a bit late after all. But to his surprise, the light in the dorm was still on when he got back. 

The on and off rain had already soaked Iwaizumi, and right now all he wanted to do was take a warm shower. Today had been the first good day in what felt like forever, but everything wasn't perfect yet. One day at a time. That would be his mantra. 

As soon as Iwaizumi opened the door, Ushijima's eyes were drawn to him. It was almost instinctive for Ushijima to grab a towel and head over to Iwaizumi. The other ace may be angry at him, but Ushijima wouldn't do anything to fuel that. 

"Thanks," Iwaizumi replied. He took the towel from Ushijima's hand and started to wipe his own hair. It wouldn't do much, but it would keep him dry until it was ready to hit the showers. 

Ushijima wanted to ask how then day went, but he couldn't bring himself to. The communication between the two of them had taken a severe hit with Oikawa's leave, to the point where even such small questions feel too much. Ushijima still remembers the anger that radiated from Iwaizumi in the immediate days after Oikawa's leave. For now, a few words are enough. But to Ushijima's surprise, it was Iwaizumi who spoke first. 

"Did you eat?" It was a simple question, so Ushijima gave a simple nod as an answer. They stood awkwardly for a few seconds, looking at each other. Iwaizumi wanted to apologize right here to Ushijima for acting like a dick this whole time. This didn't mean that he wasn't still angry, or that he wasn't still hurt. But Iwaizumi knew, deep down, that he was hurting himself by distancing himself from Ushijima. After all, these butterflies in his stomach weren't going anywhere. 

But saying sorry is hard. 

On a level, Ushijima understood the complicated emotions Iwaizumi must be feeling right now. That was the effect of living with expressive guys Iwaizumi and Oikawa, even for a short period of time. Ushijima was beginning to understand these moments. He walked closer to Iwaizumi, directing his focus on the towel that had been forgotten on his head. He grabbed the towel and began to dry Iwaizumi's hair for him. 

"I believe it would be best for you to dry yourself off and go to bed. It would be unwise to get sick before tomorrow's game," Ushijima said. He looked into Iwaizumi's eyes, and all he saw was confusion. Ushijima would take that over the anger any day. Oikawa really had the power to tame the beast he had awakened, but Ushijima supposed that was the strength of the years the two had spent together. Ushijima didn't have any like that in his life. Some of his friends came close, but being this emotionally invested in someone was something foreign to Ushijima. But that was starting to change. 

Iwaizumi's heart was beating fast. It felt as if Ushijima had forgiven him without even saying anything on the matter, but Iwaizumi had a lot of making up to do. 

"Would you mind turning on the heat while I go shower? It feels like an igloo in here," Iwaizumi joked, halting Ushijima's hands on his head. Ushijima gave him a simple nod and walked to go do just that. 

Iwaizumi noticed that he was still at the doorway. The floor at the spot had become wet, another mess for him to clean up. 

But, this had been a good day. Iwaizumi really needed one of those. 

"Hey Ushijima," Iwaizumi said, catching the attention of the boy who was focused on fixing his own bed. "Good night." 

They both smiled at that. It was small but it was genuine. After a week things were starting to heal. The pain and memories of what did happen may never go away, but everyone was doing their best to live with it. And tomorrow would give them another opportunity to do just that. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update: Hey guys! I know I haven't updated this fanfic in a while. I just wanted to provide a few updates based on comments that I've seen. First off, thank you very much for the kudos and the comments, I read them all! 
> 
> 1) Yes, I am planning to write more of this story and have already outlined out the ending. As of now, this story will be 21 chapters long, unless I decide to switch things around. 
> 
> 2) Due to my extreme lateness and the current circumstances around the world, I decided to work on and upload 5 new chapters simultaneously. After this, I will go back to uploading one chapter at a time, but I will not put a timeline for upload as my personal life has been quite up and down. 
> 
> 3) Please read the end of the chapters notes for some more details, but otherwise I hope you are all doing well in this time.

Tryouts weren’t until later in the morning, but both of the Aces found themselves awake. It was one of those weird foggy days outside, not ideal for practice, Ushijima thought. He watered his plants, hoping they may grow.

“Wanna head to the gym early?” Iwaizumi asked. The two had been up for a while, but this was the first thing spoken between them.

“Will it be open?” Ushijima asked, not wanting to waste time.

“I think so,” Iwaizumi said, heading for the door. Usually, Ushijima might ask for a little more information, but today, this was enough. He put on his jacket and began to head out with Iwaizumi.

They had not done something like this in a while. Ushijima focused on the leaves that were perfectly wet and stuck to the gray ground. It was easier this way. The walk to the gym wasn’t long and the campus did not seem alive at the moment. So for now, the two were in each other’s company.

“I wonder if Shittykawa will be there,” Iwaizumi said.

“Hm.” Ushijima didn’t know if he should ask more. But since Iwaizumi discussed it first, he felt in the clear. “How was yesterday?”

“It was good. I met him at a restaurant. Dave tagged alone though, you know the guy he lives with now.” Ushijima wondered how Iwaizumi could be so calm talking about this. He really was a good friend, pretending not to be bothered for the sake of Oikawa. “Shittykawa had to eat this sandwich with way too much mayo, he looked like he was going to gag.”

Ushijima found that detail interesting. “Oikawa doesn’t like mayo.”

“I know!” Iwaizumi replied, laughing to himself. He noticed Ushijima do the same. He was impressed that Ushijima had gleaned this much from their little time living together. But Iwaizumi supposed it hadn’t been such a short period of time. It was a weird idea that by the end of the year they would all have to move out.

“Looks like it’s open,” Ushijima said, opening the double doors to the gym. It was as anyone would expect it to be. Wide, not set up for any particular sport at the moment. It had that signature gym smell.

“Ah, home,” Iwaizumi said sarcastically, pushing himself inside. “Looks like Oikawa isn’t here. Maybe he’ll join us by the time we get changed.”

That sounded fine to Ushijima, except for the fact that he had no interactions with Oikawa after that fated day. How would the two of them act with him in the room? Would he just disappear in the background? Maybe that was for the best.

The changing room was a bit small, but that was to be expected of a smaller school like theirs. But it did make for awkward moments. Iwaizumi wouldn’t pretend that he didn’t take a few peaks. He felt guilty, especially considering how sour their relationship had turned in the past few days, but Ushijima was a sight to be seen.

Ushijima knew of the little looks that were happening. He didn’t mind that. But perhaps he should. This was one of the few times in his life where the Ace was truly confused. Iwaizumi was an interesting character. Their relationship was hot and cold. Normally, Ushijima would have none of that, but he had grown fond of Iwaizumi. Perhaps it was the heat of his first kiss clouding over his judgement.

“Hey, let’s do a few shots,” Iwaizumi welcomed after the two had finished changing into their practice jerseys. “I’ll block, you hit.”

Iwaizumi said that with confidence. But that wasn’t something that lasted very long. Seeing Ushijima go up in his jump, feeling the pressure of the ball, time and time again was scary. Ushijima truly was a monster on the court, not unlike Oikawa. If Iwaizumi wanted to be on the team with them, he would have to step his game up.

* * *

They were able to get a little bit of practice in before the upperclassmen walked in. The two helped to set up court while the other students trying out made their way in. Oikawa still hadn’t come in.

“The try-outs still haven’t started yet,” Ushijima said, trying to reassure Iwaizumi. Iwaizumi knew he was right, but he sincerely hoped his friend wouldn’t mess up a chance like this. If there’s one person that definitely belongs on the court, it’s Oikawa.

It was time to line up, and Seijoh’s former setter was still missing.

The typical try-outs warm-up and questions were conducted. It was easy to tell that the room was tense. All eyes were on Iwaizumi and Ushijima. Coming from two powerhouse schools, the upperclassmen expected a lot from them.

The try-outs proceeded in a tournament-style way, where the students were divided into teams. Naturally, Ushijima and Iwaizumi were placed in separate brackets.

Ushijima was a bit tense. It appears that for one of the matches, Oikawa was put in his team as the setter, but he had yet to come in. It appeared that someone else was taking Oikawa’s position. This was not a way to honor the game. Ushijima hoped Oikawa would know better.

It was 15 minutes into try-outs when Iwaizumi noticed Oikawa run into the gym. He seemed to be making a sincere apology. Iwaizumi couldn’t pay attention to the scene for long as it was time for his next match. The matches weren’t difficult per se. This was a war of attrition more than anything.

The gym was lively, with shouts and “nice serve” being heard all across. That was until a loud boom stopped everyone in their tracks. Suddenly, there were no other sounds, aside from the two groups that were at the center of everyone’s attention.

The source of the loud sound was Ushijima, dunking every set Oikawa threw him. With the amount of resentment that the two had once held for each other, or at least was held on Oikawa’s part, the two worked like magic on the court. It was true, all of that unnecessary stuff really did stay off the court.

Iwaizumi wished he could feel some type of jealousy that his former setter was working so well with someone else, but the truth was, the two were magic in the court. And, for some odd reason, he loved seeing them this way.

It went without saying that those two swept away the competition, but the upperclassmen were looking at individual abilities as well. Some preliminary cuts were made right there, but the final list would not be made until later this afternoon.

Oikawa was pulled aside by the managers of the team. “Oikawa, you come from a legendary school, but you know we have to take into account your lateness for today.”

Oikawa nodded, showing that he understood fully. He apologized again. The managers left him alone fairly quickly, and he went back to drinking his water. The coldness felt nice down his burning throat. He had worked up a sweat today, and that didn’t happen often. He wasn’t ignorant of the fact that Ushijima contributed to that, but seeing the other brought back memories Oikawa didn’t want.

He went to the changing room to get out of his sweat-soaked jersey but he was confronted in the midst.

“Oikawa, I need to talk to you,” Ushijima walked up to say.

Oikawa didn’t know what he wanted to say, and he didn’t want to listen. Unfortunately, there wasn’t too much room to walk out right now, so he stayed.

Ushijima wanted to be careful with how he talked to the other. Clearly, they were not on the best of terms, but Ushijima had to say his piece. “You should try to be more early for the games. The team was depending on you.” Ushijima wasn’t trying to criticize, he believed he was giving practical advice.

Oikawa could get mad, but he tried his best not to. “Look, I got a little caught up with Dave. I admit it wasn’t good to be late but I already got my ass beat about that from the managers, I don’t need you on my back as well.”

“Well, if he is such a distraction to your game, perhaps it is better to evaluate your relationship.” This was advice Ushijima would normally give as a captain.

“I don’t need to learn about relationships from you!” Oikawa almost yelled. It was funny actually. Ushijima, telling him about relationships. Oikawa thought of it as a funny joke.

“I didn’t mean to offend, I was just-”

Oikawa didn’t let Ushijima finish. “Look, I don’t want to fight and I don’t want your advice. See you at the selections Iwa-chan,” Oikawa said before walking away.

Iwaizumi sympathized with Ushijima But he had just started to rebuild his relationship with Oikawa. He couldn’t risk losing that by giving Oikawa another reason to believe that he and Ushijima were a thing. “Hey, let’s head back,” was all Iwaizumi offered.

“Hm,” Ushijima said.

* * *

The decisions came out in the afternoon. By then, the weather had turned much more sunny and humid.

“Iwa-chan, did you get in?” Oikawa asked over the phone.

“Of course I did Shittykawa!” Iwaizumi retorted back. The two talked for a while before hanging up.

Iwaizumi turned to Ushijima, who just came back from the store. “What are you wearing to the team selection party tonight?” Iwaizumi didn’t even have to ask if Ushijima got in.

“I am not into those types of things,” Ushijima said before sitting at his desk and taking out some stuff to work on.

“Oh come on, don’t you want to celebrate? We made it onto the team” Iwaizumi asked. He didn’t get a response from the other. Ever since the small argument with Oikawa, Ushijima was even more silent. Perhaps Iwaizumi was pushing it too far. Who was he to judge Ushijima when Iwaizumi gave him the silent treatment not so long ago. After all, Iwaizumi had yet to formally apologize. He left the other Ace alone for a while, not wanting to disturb him while he’s working. But he felt a greater push to repair whatever it was they had before, even if he could never restore it fully.

* * *

He knew what Oikawa would say. “That shirt again Iwa-chan?” It wasn’t that Iwaizumi didn’t have nice shirts, it’s just this one was his favorite. It was black, sleek, not many details, just the way he liked in.

Ushijima walked back from the bathroom to look at Iwaizumi. “Has someone passed?”

Now that hurt, for Ushijima of all people to criticize his fashion, it just wasn’t right. “Shut up, you’re not even going,” he said quickly.

Ushijima seemed confused. “I suppose that’s fair.” There was a moment of silence between them, but then Ushijima spoke up again. “I think the red shirt suits you better.”

Iwaizumi didn’t think Ushijima paid attention to things like that. It was a nice shirt.

“If I wear that one will you come with me to the party?” he asked.

“Why do you want me there?” Ushijima replied.

Iwaizumi paused for a moment thinking of how to best respond. “I don’t know. It’s just, you like volleyball and you work hard at it. You’ve been practicing really hard, even though you have all this talent, and I just think you deserve to enjoy yourself.” All this was true, but Iwaizumi was tip-toeing around the real answer.

“And-” he began to say, having to gather himself again. Iwaizumi sighed and moved so he could sit on his bed. “I-I have no right to ask this after how I’ve treated you, but I really want us to go back to normal. When Oikawa left, I just went berserk. I was so angry at myself it just kind of erupted everywhere. That’s no excuse for how I treated you. I just really needed time to figure stuff out, but I should have let you know that. I just completely shut down.”

Ushijima was trying to process all that Iwaizumi had just said.

“I’m apologizing to you. I’m sorry Ushijima.”

Ushijima had never expected an apology from Iwaizumi. He understood that the other was hurting, but he didn’t know how much Iwaizumi was beating himself up. Ushijima still didn’t have the full story about what happened between Oikawa and Iwaizumi. He was still confused as to what normal the other was speaking of. Was it the normal of them being rivals? Or that of them being friends? What about when they kissed? Which of that was normal? Ushijima didn’t have the answer to that.

“I understand.” Ushijima felt that captured more than anything else he could say. “I will come to the party with you.”

That’s all Iwaizumi needed. He knew things wouldn’t go back to how they were in a night, but this was a start. His chest felt a bit lighter. He would enjoy tonight, he would allow himself that.

* * *

The party was a relatively small one. Only a few guys had been selected for the team, and most of them seemed to bring a plus one. Everyone seemed to have their own groups, which was normal for now. But soon, they would all become a family. That was the power of volleyball.

Ushijima and Iwaizumi made small talk, being interrupted here and there by their teammates.

“Oikawa isn’t here,” Ushijima pointed out. He hoped that his talk hadn’t made the setter angry enough to skip out on the celebration.

“He’ll be here as soon as the food comes out,” Iwaizumi said, dismissing any worries.

“Iwa-chan that’s so mean!” Ushijima and Iwaizumi both turned back.

Oikawa never went to a party without being the statement piece. His hair was nicely laid back, his gray and black ensemble complimented each other well. Anyone looking from afar would think he’s a suave gentleman, but the two standing in front of him knew different.

“Iwa-chan! You wore something other than that hideous black shirt!” Oikawa exclaimed, proud of his childhood friend for switching it up. “The red looks really nice on you.”

“Hey!” Iwaizumi replied.

“What? It was a compliment!” Oikawa pouted.

“Yeah, sure,” Iwaizumi joked back.

Ushijima stood there, not having much to contribute to the conversation.

“Tooru, let’s go get something to drink.” Iwaizumi recognized that voice.

“Hey Dave,” he said, but he didn’t get a response. Iwaizumi supposed that was Oikawa’s plus one. Oikawa gave him a quick goodbye before going off.

Iwaizumi and Ushijima looked at each other, both feeling the same thing.

“I don’t like him,” Ushijima said bluntly.

Iwaizumi laughed a little and Ushijima’s openness in saying such things. “Neither do I, but don’t let Tooru hear you say that.”

They both continued talking, getting drinks, playing a few of the games. Ushijima turned out to be exceptional at foosball, but no one beat Iwaizumi’s naughtiness while playings Cards.

The two looked around for what they could do next. They had gone to pretty much every booth. All that was left for the night was the dinner, which would be soon.

Iwaizumi’s eyes landed on something interesting. Oikawa was standing, virtually alone except for a few fans who went up to him. Dave was nowhere in sight. Oikawa saw him staring and made his way through the crowd to join them.

“You two look like you’re having fun,” Oikawa said.

“You don’t,” Iwaizumi replied. “What happened to party animal Oikawa?” he joked so as not to insult the other too much. Iwaizumi looked around some more before acquiring his target. “So he’s just gonna hang out with those girls?” he said referencing Dave.

Ushijima could see that Oikawa didn’t want to answer. It seemed like an opportunity for him to correct what he said during the try-outs. “If you would like, you could hang out and play games with us.”

This came out of nowhere for Oikawa. He didn’t expect Ushijima to make the first offer. Part of him wanted to remain angry, but how could he be angry at Ushijima for extending courtesy. Besides, Iwaizumi and Ushijima seemed to be getting along, and Oikawa was trying his hardest to mend things with Iwaizumi. Everyone was trying their best to mend things, the least he could do was be civil.

“Let’s do that.”

* * *

Dinner wasn’t anything fancy. Just some pasta and sides for those who wanted it. Oikawa was a little shocked. It had been nearly an hour, yet Dave still hadn’t come back. Hanging out with Ushijima and Iwa-chan was fun, but they weren’t his plus ones. It was enough of a shock to jolt Oikawa back into reality. The reality that maybe there was some water to what Ushijima said earlier.

Oikawa watched as the other two ate, not really talking. He decided to break that silence. “Ushijima,” this caught both of their attention. “I’m sorry for snapping at you earlier. I know it’s not good to be late, and I’ll try harder next time.” Oikawa gritted his teeth a bit.

Iwaizumi was shocked at what he was hearing. Ushijima didn’t know what to make of getting two apologies in one day.

Oikawa tried to be the bigger person in this whole situation. He couldn’t say how good of a job he had done. But it wasn’t easy for him to try and be mature, and it was even harder to apologize, especially to someone like Ushijima. Oikawa had been fighting this battle for ages, whether it be in the court or in his head. But just because he wasn’t good at being the bigger person in the past, didn’t mean he couldn’t learn. Oikawa was learning, and he hoped they saw some of that amongst his craziness too.

“It’s fine,” Ushijima said. And he truly meant it.

Oikawa hadn’t met very many people who were this quick to forgive, considering the compounding crap he had been giving Ushijima. Maybe Oikawa could learn to see him differently. But Oikawa knew this was easier said than done. He hadn’t forgotten the kiss, though he tried his hardest to. It shouldn’t hurt him, but it did. But right now, for a moment, they were able to hang out without it hovering over them. Without their own reactions hovering over them.

When dinner ended, Iwaizumi offered to take Oikawa back to his dorm. Oikawa looked back to where Dave was standing, still immersed in the new people he was meeting.

“Yes please Iwa-chan, take me home.”

Oikawa watched out of the corner of his eye as Ushijima appeared to separate himself from them. There was something sad about the sight, but Oikawa was fine being alone with Iwaizumi, in fact, he preferred it. But for some reason, his mouth spoke contrary to what he thought.

“Ushijima, do you want to come with us?”

Ushijima turned back, not sure if it was his place. But, for old time’s sake, he said “okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this fanfic to work on my own writing and because I was so inspired by Haikyuu (I'm currently watching the latest season; if you haven't already please watch it! It's amazing.) As stated above, I plan to continue working on this because it's one of the few things I enjoy doing. Right now, the world is going through a tough time, and regardless of where everyone is, I hope that you are able to stay safe!


	12. Chapter 12

Getting into the team was the easy part. Balancing practice with schoolwork was nearly impossible. In high school, they may have skidded by, but the demands of college classes did not ease up for the boys.

Practice seemed to drag on longer each day, pushing further into the night. Ushijima felt it a little frustrating, coming from a team where every member possessed the maximum skill level. But he understood the importance of helping others perfect their game. The captain of the team quickly trusted him with writing and giving notes to some of the less experienced players. To Ushijima’s surprise, everyone took his criticisms to heart and worked hard to improve themselves. He knew that many of the others in the team looked up to him and wanted to reach his skill level.

But not just him. The others paid special attention to Oikawa and Iwaizumi as well. Iwaizumi was natural. His advice was practical and blunt, but the downside of that was that half the team would go into panic mode whenever he was around. On the other hand, their peers did not find Oikawa to be as intimidating, but he still commanded a level of respect every time he served.

The three, being at the peak of their game, still had a lot to learn. Their ego was put on hold after a game with the upperclassmen and seeing the strength of the captain and the ace. Though Mount College was nowhere near a powerhouse school, they had little gems hidden away in their team. And they were hungry for a win. College volleyball was the big leagues, and if they wanted to make it, they would have to put in 120 percent every time.

It was common for the three to stay late and practice. With each game on the court, their bond was growing tighter. This didn’t negate the awkward moments or the tenseness between Oikawa and Ushijima. But, when they were on the court, all of that seemed to disappear for a moment.

“You guys, make sure to clean up after you’re done,” the captain said as he headed out.

“Yes sir!” all three said in unison.

“It’s so nice to be able to practice late without being kicked out,” Oikawa said, spinning a volleyball in his hand. “Hey Iwa-chan, do you wanna practice some sets?” he asked.

“I actually can’t stay late tonight guys, I have an essay due tomorrow and I have like one paragraph.” Iwaizumi noticed Ushijima’s disappointed look. “Don’t judge me,” he said jokingly.

“You should go and work on it. I’ll stay and practice some serves,” Ushijima replied.

Iwaizumi put away some of the mess he made and headed towards the changing room. Oikawa and Ushijima were left alone, the large space of the gym almost engulfing them.

“Will you be practicing as well?” Ushijima asked. His voice seemed to echo now that there was no one around.

This was a predicament. Oikawa could leave and not deal with Ushijima, but what would that do? Ushijima’s spikes were getting better. Though he hated to admit it, Oikawa enjoyed the challenge of a left-handed spiker. Iwaizumi and Ushijima had such different playing styles, switching between the two created a space where Oikawa could improve.

He realized he had just been staring off into space and that Ushijima was now giving him a weird look. “I’m staying. Let’s practice that move.”

Oikawa and Ushijima had been instructed to work on a spike that would be near impossible to stop. It was a secret project they had been working on, not even Iwaizumi knew about it. Oikawa felt slightly guilty about that, but the game came first.

“Can you hit slightly to the left?” Ushijima requested. Being a left-handed spiker he was used to needing extra time with the Setter.

Unfortunately, it was a bit harder to communicate with Oikawa. Ushijima had always wondered what it was like to work with him, but now that he had the opportunity it was different than what he was expecting. Oikawa was doing his best to be professional, and Ushijima could tell that, off the court though their relationship was still wavering.

“Hey! Get out of your head, it’s harder for me to set to you when you’re like that,” Oikawa said. Ushijima nodded. He wasn’t used to being talked like this, but he respected the feedback.

It was well into the night when the two decided to end their practice. They talked about some notes to improve, but otherwise, there was little communication. The only noise in the gym was the echoing of the two putting the equipment away.

“Oh Iwa-chan.” Ushijima heard Oikawa sigh. He walked over to the benches where the Setter was standing. “He left this again.” Oikawa showed Iwaizumi’s water bottle, which was left on the bench. This wasn’t the first time this had happened.

“I can return it to him,” Ushijima said, reaching out for it. “I can put away the ball cart and lock up too,” he offered.

Oikawa nodded and went to grab his bag. “Goodnight,” he said lazily making his way to the door. “ You’ve got to be kidding me!”

Ushijima turned to see what the commotion was about. It appeared to be raining outside. It had been on and off raining for a while, but today it seemed to be storming. Ushijima consulted his phone, seeing as how the weather went from displaying “cloudy” to “thunderstorm.”

“Do you have an umbrella?” Oikawa asked. Ushijima shook his head no. “Great, I can’t even run through this. I have my laptop in my bag.” Oikawa dramatically slumped over and made his way back to the bench. He sat down and put his head in his palms.

“It should clear soon,” Ushijima offered. He went off to the closet to put away the last of the stuff and then returned to sit near Oikawa.

This was not ideal for Oikawa. He was too much of a chatterbox to be stuck with the one person he could talk least to. He decided to make some light conversation to clear his boredom.

“How are your classes?” he asked.

“Good.”

It was always like this. Ushijima did not know the meaning of carrying on a conversation. Oikawa rolled his eyes.

“Mine has been okay. My writing class is kicking my ass. I hate writing all those papers!” Oikawa said.

“Sounds difficult.”

“It is. Are any of your classes hard?”

“Not particularly.” Ushijima didn’t understand the need for small talk. Discussing classes or the weather or things like that, none of that had any weight. He was perfectly content staying silent, but perhaps this would be a good way to clear the air with Oikawa.

“Of course, you are Mr. Smartypants after all.” Oikawa looked at the Ushijima’s confused face. “It’s a saying, ever heard of those?” Before Ushijima could speak Oikawa stopped him “Don’t answer that.”

“If you had gone to Shiratorizawa perhaps you would have an easier time in your classes as well,” Ushijima knew that it bothered Oikawa when he said stuff like that, but it was hard for him to control his mouth when he thought of something.

“Well, we’re both stuck here so I guess it doesn’t matter.” Oikawa was done with the conversation. He turned his attention to his phone. No messages. He had texted Dave before practice started. It had been hours since then, still nothing. This wasn’t the first time.

“You seem angry. I’m sorry if I offended you.” An apology from Ushijima was like music to Oikawa, and while he was a bit offended, he knew that Ushijima’s apology was unwarranted.

“It’s not you.”

“May I ask what it is?” Ushijima replied. He sounded like a reporter trying to get the facts.

“Not what, who. My roommate hasn’t responded to my text the whole day. I know you’re gonna think it’s stupid, but it matters to me. I, for one, actually like having people to talk to. It’s just annoying when people leave you on read you know? Like just say you’re busy if you’re busy.” Oikawa replied. He had to shake his head to get rid of some of his annoyance. He knew he was oversharing with Ushijima, someone he wasn’t even on terms with, but it felt good to get all that out. Ushijima was like that impartial person. Who was Ushijima going to tell? And it wasn’t like Ushijima’s judgement could hurt Oikawa. And, most importantly, Ushijima wasn’t going to do anything. Unlike Iwaizumi. Oikawa shuddered at that thought. It oddly felt good to share all this with Ushijima.

“Sounds frustrating. Why do you stay with him?” Ushijima asked.

Oikawa didn’t know how to explain it, partially because none of his reasons were actually reasonable. Dave was there when everything went down, and it was as simple as that. Oikawa thought there might be more there, but he was losing any fizzle of that.

“I don’t understand,” Ushijima restated after Oikawa’s continued silence.

Oikawa had to stop from snickering. “You’ve never had someone that you looked forward to seeing their text?”

Ushijima thought for a bit but he couldn’t think of anyone in particular. There may have been a few rare cases, but nothing concrete.

“Oh come on! You mean to tell me, you never text someone and have your heart race? You never see a message a spend a couple minutes trying to say the perfect thing back? You have never checked your phone multiple times just to see if they’ve replied?” Oikawa could go on and on but he saw something click in Ushijima.

“There is someone.”

Oikawa was smiling at first, but then that quickly started to disappear. “Is it Iwa-chan?”

Ushijima didn’t respond, but the way he was focusing on the ground, Oikawa could tell he hit the mark.

“We don’t text often,” Ushijima said.

“Do you text anyone often?” Oikawa asked.

“No.”

“But you like texting him?” Oikawa knew the answer to that already.

“I suppose,” Ushijima responded. He didn’t know why, but he wanted to end the conversation right there. His mouth was getting dry.

Oikawa didn’t know if he should say it, but he supposed everything was out by now. “You know I saw you two right?” Oikawa saw the way Ushijima’s brows scrunched up so he clarified. “I saw you two kiss.”

Within a moment, Ushijima understood much more about what had happened within the last couple of weeks. It was relieving on one hand, but also tension inducing. That kiss. That was what all this boiled down to. The break between Oikawa and Iwaizumi, why Iwaizumi was angry with him, why Oikawa moved out, all of it. And it was Ushijima’s fault. Ushijima couldn’t feel his feet. His body went cold.

Oikawa didn’t look at Ushijima, but he could guess that the other was staring at him in disbelief right now. He waited for Ushijima to say something, but he stayed silent for a while.

“Was-was this why you left?” It wasn’t often that Ushijima tripped over his words like this.

“Yes.” Now it was Oikawa who gave the short answers. Unlike Ushijima though, Oikawa couldn’t let go of a conversation. “Ushijima, do you have feelings for Iwa-chan?” It was direct. Oikawa knew Ushijima would like it better that way.

Ushijima sighed, his mind clouded by all his thoughts. The way he felt for Iwaizumi was unlike how he felt for anyone else, even before when he thought he might like someone. He didn’t really know what to call it, but they did kiss. Is that not love? Can two people who were not in love kiss each other? He supposed so, but he knew their kiss was something special. It was his first, and it was with Iwaizumi. Though his mind was clouded, one word came through clearly.

“Yes.”

Oikawa didn’t realize that he was holding his breath. This hurt. He knew the answer, but to hear it sent shocks through his body to the point where it ached. He could feel his own tenseness, but no amount of telling himself to relax was fixing any of this. He couldn’t hear any rain outside, the gym creating a vacuum for outside sounds. He focused on that thought, that made things a bit easier. Maybe it had stopped raining. Even if it didn’t, maybe he could run. He wanted to run, but he was cemented onto the seat.

Ushijima saw the frozen state of the other. The way Oikawa was twiddling his thumbs was almost childlike. Something else became clear to Ushijima in that moment.

“You also have feelings for him.”

Oikawa let out a tense laugh. Sometimes Ushijima was as perceptive as the plants he takes care of, other times, like now, he could see through people.

“I guess you could say that,” Oikawa answered.

Ushijima felt Oikawa’s pain. He felt sad for the Setter. Seeing ‘the person’ with someone else must be difficult. “We’re not in a relationship,” he clarified.

“I know. Iwa-chan already told me,” said Oikawa. “He likes you, Ushijima. You did, in some months, what I couldn’t do in years.” Oikawa wasn’t admitting defeat. He hadn’t lost Iwaizumi. He never would. But he had to get comfortable with the fact that his friend could like others. “Being in a relationship with you would make him happy. I want that for him. I want him to be happy, Ushijima.” Oikawa wasn’t going to cry. This isn’t something to cry over. He had to convince himself of that.

“I want him to be happy too,” Ushijima said.

Oikawa was afraid to hear this, but here it was spoken into existence. And like all things spoken, it could never be taken back. Someone cared, just as much as he did.

“But our relationship would pain you. Iwaizumi would never allow that. He loves you,” Ushijima said. Oikawa was going to interject, but Ushijima cut him to it. “I also don’t want you to be unhappy.”

“Who am I to get in the way of you two?” Oikawa asked. He threw his head back, looking up at the ceiling.

“His best friend.”

They set in silence for a moment, both torn.

Oikawa understood what he had put Iwaizumi through. Choosing between someone he has feelings for and his best friend. It wasn’t easy. Oikawa felt entitled to that love, but that wasn’t his decision to make.

Oikawa thought about it. Iwaizumi had chosen him.

He looked at Ushijima, wondering how it must have felt to go through all this and not know why any of this was happening. And yet, the Ace still cared for his feelings, something Oikawa knew was difficult.

“I’m-” Oikawa didn’t know how to word this, so he went with simplicity. “Thank you for caring about my feelings.”

Ushijima didn’t know how to respond.

“It was nice to open up about all this to someone,” Oikawa said. Ushijima nodded in agreement.

There was another silence before Ushijima finally decided to speak up. “We have both taken it upon ourselves to ponder Iwaizumi’s feelings and which course would make him most happy.” Oikawa agreed and looked to Ushijima to see what more he had to say. “But, Iwaizumi is capable of choosing for himself.”

This was a hard truth.

“I know,” Oikawa said. “I reacted in a way that took that away from him. That was not right, even if I didn’t do it intentionally. I thought I was making him happy. But, from here on out, I’ll let him decide what that means.”

Ushijima nodded in agreement. He respected Oikawa in the moment. Ushijima understood how big this was for the Setter.

Oikawa never knew how comforting it could be to talk to someone like Ushijima, but today he learned. He felt secure like he does with Iwaizumi.

Oikawa checked his phone. It had been about 20 minutes. “I’ll go check if it’s still raining.” They both knew this conversation wouldn’t come up again. What had happened in this gym was a pact, something they would both hold each other accountable to. But the outside world would remain oblivious, and that was perfectly fine for them both.

“It’s clear!” Oikawa yelled to get the message across.

Ushijima picked up his stuff and walked to the door. He looked at Oikawa, who waited for him there. “Would you like me to walk you to your dorm?” Ushijima asked.

“No.”

And with that, they walked their separate ways.

* * *

The light in their dorm was turned off, so Ushijima assumed that Iwaizumi had fallen asleep. He didn’t want to wake the other so he used his phone’s flashlight instead.

“You’re back late,” Iwaizumi mumbled like a tired child.

“It was raining.” Ushijima walked in and put his stuff down, starting to prep for bed.

“Hm, Oikawa’s gonna cry over his hair tomorrow. He hates when the rain ruins it.”

“It was dry when we left,” Ushijima clarified.

“That’s good.” Iwaizumi was already drifting back. “Hey, Ushiwaka good night.” He went off with a yawn.

“Good night,” Ushijima said back, ignoring the way his name was said.

It was a sweet way to go to sleep, but an uneasy feeling was still growing in Ushijima’s stomach.


	13. Chapter 13

The weekend came by quickly bringing with it some sunshine after days of rain. It was refreshing warmth. For most, the weekend was time to unwind for a bit, but for the sports teams, it was the time to catch up on work.

Ushijima turned to watch Iwaizumi as he slumped over his desk working on his reading assignments. Every two minutes the boy would check his phone. “Shouldn’t you focus on your reading?” he asked.

Iwaizumi jumped a little, startled by the sudden break of silence. “Yeah, it’s kind of hard to pay attention. This is so boring. I’m tired of learning about kidneys.”

Ushijima smiled and looked back at his math problems.

“I’ve been seeing that you and Shittykawa having been talking a lot more,” Iwaizumi said. He noticed the improvement in Ushijima and Oikawa’s relationship, even with all of the ‘bickering’ which was more of just Oikawa coming at Ushijima.

Ushijima didn’t notice too much of an improvement, but he knew he had a secret understanding with Oikawa now. Perhaps that understanding was coming off as friendliness. They did talk more now. As much practice as they did together, it was bound to happen.

“Did he tell you why he’s not coming to class?” Iwaizumi asked. He couldn’t help but sound concerned. Oikawa always dodged his questions about it. He knew the Setter wasn’t sick because he was still coming to practice. And as much as Oikawa hated some of his classes, he wasn’t one to skip them ever.

“He isn’t coming to class?” Ushijima questioned, not really knowing anything. He wondered if it had anything to do with their conversation, though he got no indication from Oikawa of that being the case. He couldn’t bring this up to Iwaizumi, but he also didn’t like to see the other ace so concerned. Ushijima, too, was concerned. He looked at his phone, the text from Oikawa now more ominous than before.

‘Ushijima, let’s play frisbee’ followed by some details on where and when to meet. It was sent an hour ago. Ushijima simply liked the message without replying. He closed his book, supposing it was about time to leave anyway. He might as well get there early.

“Where are you going?” Iwaizumi asked.

“To play frisbee.”

Iwaizumi had stopped questioning at this point.

* * *

“Oikawa, why are you wearing those sunglasses?” Ushijima asked, taking in the figure that was sitting on the park bench. Something was not right. A brown hoodie in this hot weather, the Setter sitting all alone, drinking the juice he had in his hand.

Oikawa sighed. Ushijima really didn’t know the art of secrecy. He put his hoodie down, relieved by a few cool breezes. The sweat was not worth it. “I was trying to go unnoticed. I don’t want anyone to think I’m too buddy buddy with you.”

Ushijima found that funny. Oikawa cared so much.

“I am not sure anyone cares about our relationship,” Ushijima countered.

“My fans will care. They would be so concerned.”

“But we play for the same team,” Ushijima said.

“You wouldn’t understand. Have a seat,” Oikawa ordered. He took off his sunglasses as well.

“Why have you called me here?” Ushijima asked.

Oikawa took a deep breath. He didn’t know when he became comfortable sharing so much of his life with Ushijima, but to his credit, Ushijima was reliable. And oddly, he was a good listener. Besides, Ushijima knew most things about Oikawa, so there wasn’t much of a reason to keep secrets. “I wanted to talk to you,” he replied after a while.

“What about frisbee?” Ushijima asked.

“I wanted to give you an excuse in case Iwa-chan asked.” Oikawa didn’t know how to start the rest of the conversation, but Ushijima was patient, sitting there quietly. “I’ve been having a hard time lately.”

“Iwaizumi has told me you have been missing classes.”

Oikawa chuckled thinking of all that Iwaizumi had been asking him for the past few days. Oikawa decided to explain himself. “Lately, Dave has been bringing a lot of people over to our room. He does photography in there, so I don’t mind, but it’s been a lot of late nights, and it’s loud.”

If Ushijima had learned anything from living with Oikawa is that he didn’t like sound when he was trying to sleep.

“It’s hard getting assignments done, and I always end up with such a headache it’s hard to go to class.”

“Why don’t you study in the library or come to our room?”

“It’s kind of hard to leave. Dave is always pressuring me to stay, and I know I shouldn’t. Sometimes I do go to the library, but when I come back I notice that my stuff was moved and sometimes it’s just missing! I hate it.” Oikawa was getting animated now, moving his hand about as he spoke.

Ushijima didn’t like it one bit. His studies were important to him, and he couldn’t imagine what would happen if he was in a situation like that. He was glad that he got the room he did, even though he didn’t feel this way originally. But he could tell there was more to the story, so he let Oikawa continue.

“He’s also been getting really ‘friendly’ with a lot of these people.”

“It’s good to have friends,” Ushijima thought out loud.

“Not friends like friends, but you know _friends_ ,” Oikawa said, fully knowing that Ushijima wasn’t understanding him. 

It took Ushijima a while to work out the meaning, but he finally came around. “Are you two in a relationship?”

Oikawa looked at him with guilty eyes, as if begging to not be judged. He looked down at his lap. “Don’t lecture me okay, it was a lapse in judgement. He offered a while, and at the time I thought it would be a good way to forget about my feelings for Iwa-chan.”

“Why don’t you break up with him?” To Ushijima, it seemed like an easy solution.

Oikawa shook his head. “I can’t. I can’t switch rooms anymore, it was already really hard to move out when I did. If I broke up with him than I would have to live awkwardly. I can’t do that.”

Ushijima didn’t understand this line of reasoning. If this was him, he would risk the comfort over a bad relationship.

“I know you won’t understand, but I want to make this work. I need to know that there is someone out there for when Iwa-chan-” Oikawa didn’t fully know where he was going with this, “when Iwa-chan moves on from me.”

For the first time, Ushijima saw the lonely interior behind all of the  extroverted appearance. Oikawa was fixated on Iwaizumi as his childhood friend and someone he had feelings for. To come close to losing that, it’s difficul, but he didn't agree that Iwaizumi would ever leave Oikawa. Their bond was too strong. Ushijima was just a random connection in Iwaizumi's life. 

“You’re right. I don’t understand. But I want to help you with whatever you would like to do.”

Oikawa perked up when he heard that, looking at Ushijima again. He knew the Ace didn’t have to do this for him, but here he was offering regardless. “Ushijima, Iwa-chan can’t know about any of this. If he did, he would go crazy.” Ushijima nodded agreeing. “I- it’s just nice for me to talk to someone about this. You’re the only person I could think of to share this stuff with. I don’t really know what to do. 

Ushijima set quietly for a while, thinking. “You have a lot of catching up to do for classes?” Oikawa nodded. “And if your grades are not doing well, your spot on the team may suffer?” He nodded again. “Have you tried talking to Dave?”

“I have, but he’s not really the receptive type.”

“Perhaps I should talk to him?” Ushijima offered, but Oikawa shook his head no profusely. Bad idea.

“Maybe if you had a friend to study with, Dave wouldn’t bother you as much to join. You could get your work done and look after your stuff at the same time.” Ushijima said.

“No one wants to study in a place like that.”

“I have an idea. May I come over this afternoon?” Oikawa looked confused but nodded yes none the less. He never thought he would be expecting help from Ushijima, but desperate times called for desperate measures. 

* * *

It was way too loud. The smell of alcohol was nearly unbearable. Red cups littered the floor, and every party person on Campus was in Oikawa’s dorm.  Luckily, this dorm was suite-style and had a living room as well as a bedroom. Ushijima hoped the bedroom was a better place. 

This was not Ushijima’s scene, but he made his way through. Some people came up to him, expressing interest. Ushijima gave them a blunt “no” which didn’t go over well. He watched as Dave and Oikawa had a heated conversation, likely regarding his presence.

He walked up to them and looked at Dave.“Is there a problem,” Ushijima asked. He didn’t like people like Dave and he did not mind expressing that. Dave was intimidated by him, and he understood that. 

“Whatever,” Dave said walking away.

Oikawa shook his head. Dave was making all this too difficult. He wasn’t like this when they first met. “We have the room to ourselves. Are you sure we’ll be able to study like this?” The thumping beat of the music seemed to reinforce Oikawa’s question. Ushijima only gave a nod.

They walked into the room, Oikawa locking the door behind them. The room wasn’t much cleaner, but it was a little more bearable.

“What’s your plan?” Oikawa asked, raising his voice to cut out the music.

Ushijima took out two headphones he had been hiding in his bag. “Noise-canceling,” he said.

“How will we talk then?”  Oikawa knew  they didn’t need  to talk, but he would feel guilty if Ushijima was being dragged here only so Dave didn’t put pressure on him to go outside and mingle. 

“We will text.”

It was worth a shot.

The two mostly focused on their books, with Oikawa texting Ushijima every once in a while to ask for help. Unlike Iwaizumi, Ushijima never got heated at the Setter. This was new for Oikawa. He was used to the occasional friendly slap on the back of his head for asking dumb questions, but Ushijima just gave him an in-depth answer regardless of how stupid it sounded.

Ushijima ignored the ungodly amount of emoji’s Oikawa tended to use. It was off-putting at first, having not texted Oikawa often, but it became easy to overlook. The gifs were a bit more difficult to ignore, but they were so intrinsically Oikawa like that it almost worked.  Talking to Oikawa like this, without bickering, was almost fun. 

Oikawa appreciated this. Opening up to Ushijima left him feeling exposed, but he felt safe with Ushijima. He was enjoying this, which was high up on the list of things he never thought he would say about the Ace. He was experiencing a lot of firsts.

Ushijima was intelligent, but Oikawa never expected to plan to work as well as it did. By the end of the weekend, he had caught up on most of his work and got extensions for the other stuff. With Ushijima there, Dave stopped bothering him. The headphones canceled out all excess noise, and by being there he could keep an eye on all his stuff. Even more, Ushijima would text him after he left and in the morning to make sure he was alright. Oikawa was aware that he was smiling a little too much at Ushijima’s texts, but he couldn’t help it. The other was there for him.

* * *

“So you decided to show up?” Iwaizumi asked him the Monday they both went to class.

“Hmm,” Oikawa hummed, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Why were you gone so long, idiot?”

Oikawa came close to Iwaizumi as if he would expose some deep truths. “It’s a secret Iwa-chan,” he whispered, laughing at how Iwaizumi scrunched up his face.

“Shitty-kawa. You and Ushijima are the same. He kept disappearing all weekend talking about some frisbee.”

Oikawa smiled and shrugged. “Perhaps we just have a more interesting life than you Iwa-chan. Are you jealous?”

“Jealous of you? No way!” Iwaizumi turned his head away so Oikawa wouldn’t be able to see him laugh. “But it’s nice to have you back,” he said.

Oikawa lost his breath there for a second. Looking at Iwaizumi and being reminded what it’s like to love someone without having to force it.

“I’m glad you missed me,” he said.

“Did not!”

“Did so,” Oikawa rolled his eyes. They would go at it for a while until class started, but that’s the way it always was.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a long one.

“Are you ready?” Ushijima asked Iwaizumi as they finished packing their bags. The other gave a simple nod before the two were on their way to the large game bus for the boy’s volleyball team. The bus itself was nothing too fancy, just a thing on four wheels with a bathroom in the back. Luckily for the boys, being in the midst of Autumn, they did not need air conditioning, which the bus also did not possess.

This would be their first five-day tournament style game with other colleges. They had weeks of practice matches, already establishing the team as one to watch out for, but this set of games would be official and it was the last true tournament for the semester. The three boys were not ignorant to the fact that getting to play as first years was a true privilege. They put in the most practice, and when the time came they couldn’t pack their bags fast enough. Even Oikawa worked ahead on his assignments to assure this moment.

Iwaizumi and Ushijima found Oikawa standing outside the bus, struggling to load his stuff on the bottom deck.

“Let me help you, idiot,” Iwaizumi said, immediately going to Oikawa’s rescue.

“Aww, how nice of you Iwa-chan!” Oikawa said, appreciating the help. He noticed Ushijima standing patiently. “Hey,” Oikawa said.

They had already texted in the morning, but it didn’t hurt to say.

“Hello.”

After loading up their stuff, the three entered the bus. Iwaizumi and Oikawa headed to the back, while Ushijima preferred the front seats. It wasn’t long before they were on their way.

* * *

There was barely enough time to look over the small hotel in which they would be staying before it was time to head off to their first match. It was against the neighboring Crown College. They weren’t one of the big ones either, but certainly not a team to be underestimated.

“Iwa-chan, stop flexing in the mirror,” Oikawa teased. The team had made it into the locker rooms. It was minutes before the start of the game.

Iwaizumi was noticeably flustered but recovered quickly. “We just look good in these jerseys.” Their shirts were gray with a logo of a mountain in the front representing their college name. Oikawa wasn’t fond of the gloomy colors, but he couldn’t deny the good feeling of trying on a new jersey. It was one of his favorites.

“Okay team listen up! This is our last tournament of the semesters. We have some new guys with us, but as we all know, they are more than qualified. What matters is that we go out there and kick some butts.” The captain started the usual pregame speech, and everyone was pumped.

“Oikawa, we’re counting on some good sets tonights,” he said.

“Yes Sir!” Oikawa replied.

“Iwaizumi and Ushijima, you two have talent. Just don’t lose sight of the ball.”

“Yes!”

“Well, with that out of the way, let’s show them what we got.”

* * *

The other team’s yellow jersey could be spotted from a mile away. Both colleges had enough fans to set the stadium ablaze, but Oikawa, Iwaizumi, and Ushijima had all seen bigger crowds. As much as they appreciated the fans, the size of the crowds did not matter to them. From the moment they were on the court, all of that was blocked out from their ears and their sole focus was the ball.

The game started off with nice pacing and built on from there. Both teams got a few hits in. It was almost neck and neck, Mount College in the lead by one point, which they maintained until the end of the first Set. The rival team was able to sneak in a point, leaving the last hit to determine the set.

Oikawa knew he had some major decisions to make. With one hit, they could win the set completely, making it more likely for the team to take the game. He could send it to Iwaizumi, who he knew the most. He could send it to Ushijima, who he had practiced with nonstop. He could give it to the upperclassmen, who he knew he could rely on.

When the time came, Oikawa made the decision that he always knew he could make.

He sent it to Iwaizumi.

Iwaizumi wasn’t expecting Oikawa to do that but he was still there to receive it. He knew that all he had to do was jump. Oikawa’s genius would carry through any shot. He hit the ball. The timing was perfect, the set up, too, was perfect.

But, even with all that, the other team was able to stop the hit and send it back, taking the first set.

Iwaizumi was frozen on the court for a second, not quite sure what went wrong. Ushijima came up behind him. “Don’t mind. Let’s take the next one,” he said, before running off for some water.

It wasn’t that he had never missed a shot. It was just that this shot was so important. It was a game-changer in his first-ever college volleyball game and he blew it. He knew there was another set, but the thoughts in his head were making it nearly impossible to look forward to that. He could see Oikawa approaching him out of the corner of his eye.

“Iwa-chan, I’m sorry. The Set was a little to the left for your comfort right?”

Wrong.

Oikawa had perfected his set to Iwaizumi for years. His set was perfect. It was Iwaizumi who missed.

“Come on, let’s get some water before the second round starts. We can still take this!” Oikawa’s cheery voice wasn’t what Iwaizumi needed right now, but he refused to sulk for the rest of the game. He would come back, and he would make more hits to make up for the one he missed there.

He went and received feedback from the team about what could be done better, and by the end of the break, Iwaizumi was ready to be back in business.

The only problem when the game started again was that Oikawa threw fewer and fewer shots at him. He knew that it was because there were other more convenient players to set to, but he couldn’t help but let the gnawing thought of Oikawa losing faith in him coming back.

It was a fear he didn’t know he had. It seemed to well up from somewhere deep, and it hurt every shot he took. He knew Oikawa couldn’t take chances with him when his gameplay was not at its top. But the more he entertained that thought, the worse his gameplay became. It was a vicious cycle he had entrapped himself in.

The game continued virtually without him. Ushijima made the winning shot.

* * *

The team captain gave Iwaizumi a few notes on how to improve. There was no scolding, and he was constantly reassured that he belonged there. Deep inside, Iwaizumi already knew this. But he had been a letdown today and no one was giving him the tough talk he needed.

The team got back on the bus. He could hear all the murmuring about what they should do to celebrate their first victory, but Iwaizumi wasn’t savoring anything. He sat in his seat with his headphones in, reliving those moments. He felt a weight beside him and ignored it thinking it was Oikawa, but after a peaceful minute, he opened his eyes to see who it was.

“Hey,” he said to Ushijima. Iwaizumi proceeded to bang his head back on the window and close his eyes. “Here to scold me?”

“No. I just wanted to ask what happened.” Ushijima was in Captain mode right now, and Iwaizumi was curious to see it again.

“I was in my head,” Iwaizumi kept it short and simple.

“Why? It was one missed shot. You have had many of those in the past.” Ushijima said plainly

“I just hate that I made the game longer for everybody,” Iwaizumi admitted. Ushijima stayed silent for a moment, knowing there was more. “I-I don’t want Oikawa to lose faith in me on the court.”

Ushijima didn’t quite grasp Iwaizumi’s fear, but he was also a stranger to Oikawa and Iwaizumi’s past. He offered up what he thought was best. “Oikawa still picked you over everyone else. He trusts you.”

“Yeah, and I feel like I let him down, you know?” Iwaizumi focused on his hands, not entirely comfortable with the conversation. “We didn’t really have the best first year ever. I let him down once already.”

Ushijima understood why the past may have made Iwaizumi fearful. Oikawa lost his best friend, but the flip side was also true. Iwaizumi must have felt responsible, but Ushijima thought it was his fault as well. Without him in the equation, Iwaizumi would at least be free of these doubts.

“Oikawa cares for you a lot. I do not believe you could ever truly let him down. He will always believe in you. It’s just difficult for a setter to adjust to different playing styles like this.” Iwaizumi knew Ushijima was speaking from the heart. “If he still believes in you after that game with Karasuno, anything is possible.”

Ushijima was being serious, maybe that’s why the comment stung a bit. “Hey! You guys lost too,” Iwaizumi said, joking around. He didn’t realize when he started smiling. He looked at Ushijima and saw the other look back at him intently. That feeling, that warmth in the gut, it was back in an instant.

“Hey! Ushijima, get out of my seat,” Oikawa whined.

Ushijima looked at the other boy who had come on to the bus a little too late. By now, most of the seats were occupied.

“You snooze you lose,” Iwaizumi replied, sticking out his tongue. Ushijima had no problem moving to the front, but Iwaizumi’s grasp on his wrist kept him put.

An upperclassman from the seat behind Ushijima’s offered it to Oikawa. Though the Setter refused profusely, embarrassed for making his older team member move, the player was more than willing.

For the rest of the ride, Ushijima and Iwaizumi chatted with each other. Oikawa sat with a pout, kicking Ushijima’s seat every few minutes.

There were only four more matches to go.

* * *

Oikawa’s ability to adjust became a theme in every game after. By their 3rd game of the tournament, it was becoming clear that having two powerhouse players like Iwaizumi and Ushijima on the court was creating a rift. Although Oikawa practiced hard to work with both of them and the structure worked out in practice matches, in longer tournaments it wasn’t practical. If this were an average Setter and not someone as tactical as Oikawa, the team would have gone home on game one. It had become blatantly clear that they were slipping by on manpower alone, which their opponents were picking up on and targeting.

The team captain and coach began discussing alternatives, inviting Oikawa into the conversation. Oikawa felt dirty standing in the barren hotel room talking behind his teams back.

“Coach, we can’t keep them both in the game if we want to take this thing all the way. We’re finally getting the recognition we’ve worked hard for,” Captain Octan said.

Oikawa was in a mode of panic hearing everything that was being said. He was aware that in this type of game style he was being stretched thin, but he didn’t want to be the reason they couldn’t play in the finals. “I’m sorry Captain, but that’s just not fair to them,” he said.

“If you want fairness we can take them both out! Look, Oikawa, I don’t mean to get snappy. But a lot of good 3rd and 4th years were swapped out so you guys could play this tournament. I don’t want you to feel guilty for this, they were more than happy to put their hopes in you three. But if we return again without a trophy we’ll be throwing all that down the drain. I want you to think strategically here. Who can you win with?” Octan stopped to let Oikawa absorb the information. He thought up of some qualities that might help Oikawa choose. “You’ve always worked with Iwaizumi, he might be what you are more comfortable with, but he did miss a few good shots. On the other hand, Ushijima is new to you but you two work like magic, and I want to see that new play you guys were working on.”

Oikawa’s mind was filled with images at this point.

Iwaizumi was his childhood best friend, always there for him. He remembered all the years they spent practicing together, and how hard Iwaizumi worked. He remembered his own feelings for Iwaizumi too but regardless of that Iwaizumi belonged on the court.

But then there was Ushijima. He was raw power and talent and no one could deny that. They had spent hours practicing together. Oikawa opened up to him about things he hadn’t even told Iwaizumi. Ushijima listened and he helped, and he cared enough to check in every day. But most importantly, he too deserved to be on the court.

“Oikawa, what do you think?” the coach asked.

Oikawa let out a sigh. “One more chance. I haven’t mastered it yet, but I know I can play with both of them on the Court. I can adjust.”

“Oikawa, we just don’t have time-” Octan would go on but the coach cut him off.

“Tomorrow at the Semifinals. You have to set for both of them, early in the game. You have to signal to us for those specific shots. Either of them misses that shot and Octan will be in charge of deciding who gets left out for the final.

Octan raised his voice to show concern. “It’s way too risky. This is the semi’s we’re talking about.” 

The coach knew he was stacking things high for Oikawa by giving him one shot, but if he could make it, it would be proven that he could work with both Ushijima and Iwaizumi simultaneously. But, if he could not, the team still had a shot at the trophy.

“I can do it!” Oikawa reassured.

Octan saw the determination in Oikawa’s eyes. The Setter was young, he had not learned that determination doesn’t beat practicality. But Octan knew he would have to learn someday and that someday was the next match. “Okay.”

* * *

Oikawa hadn’t felt this nervousness in a while. After the Karasuno match, he had played some small games, but nothing that had so much on the line. Even though he only knew them for a couple of weeks, Oikawa felt for the upperclassmen. He wanted to win too, but he had to make sure that his two friends were there with him in that. He hadn’t told them anything. He knew if he did, both of them would willingly take themselves out for the good of the team, but Oikawa knew that they were the best scenario for the team.

“Hey, are you okay?” Iwaizumi asked the Setter. He noticed Oikawa spinning the ball in his hand endlessly.

“I’m fine Iwa-chan!” Oikawa put on a fake cheery demeanor, but that didn’t work with Iwaizumi. “I just have a bit of the jitters,” he admitted.

“ We don’t have time for you to suck Shittykawa, we wanna win! Get your head back in the game.” It may sound harsh, but Oikawa knew Iwaizumi was just motivating him.

He nodded his head and practiced serves until the game started.

They were a few points into the game. This match was proving more challenging than the last. Neither team was willing to budge, and both sides were left with a stale 6-7 score, with Mount College in the lead. Oikawa knew it was time.

He took a deep breath in and focused on the ball. He telepathically spoke to it, praying for things to go his way. Two set ups, that’s all he had. The Aces would need to connect and make the final kill. He had faith in them.

The first. Iwaizumi. Oikawa knew how to set this. He cleared his mind and let the ball flow out of his hand. It was going to one person, and both Oikawa and Iwaizumi knew it.

Oikawa saw as Iwaizumi hit the ball. He heard the slap across the air. He closed his eyes, but by the sound of the thud and cheers, he could tell it landed.

They were now in a two-point lead.

The second one. It was going to Ushijima. He had to think of everything he learned about hitting for a left-handed spiker. He let that information rush into his brain. In an instant, Oikawa had an image of what to do, but by now his fingers were trembeling. 

He set the ball. Immediately he felt panic. Too low. His mind rationalized it. Ushijima could recover from this.

He saw the hit and closed his eyes again. There was a thud. There were cheers.

Oikawa knew something was wrong.

They had blocked Ushijima. The first time in the match, and it had to be on this toss.

Oikawa had thought too much. The set was too low. He messed up.

He looked to Coach for any sign of assurance that all that talk in the hotel room was fake. But as soon as the manager walked over to the referee board, he knew.

“Player switch, number 4, Iwaizumi Hajime.” Iwaizumi was confused. He was performing well today yet was being switched out, but he wasn’t going to challenge the decision of the coach. He walked off the court, taking in all of the other shocked faces. It was weird for him to see Ushijima shocked. Oikawa on the other hand had a myriad of emotions showing on his face.

He quickly subbed in the other player and went to sit on the bench, waiting for the coach to give him some idea as to why he was sitting there. All he got was “good job today.”

The game dragged on, and some mistakes were made, but in the end, the team made it to the finals.

* * *

Iwaizumi couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He would be benched for the finals. “Can I at least know why?” he asked, trying not to raise his voice. He knew the other players were in the rooms next to them at the hotel, and he didn't want to make a spectacle.

“It’s too much of a strain on Oikawa to set for both you and Ushijima. I know it’s really disappointing, and I’m sorry, but I believe that our best chances right now are with Ushijima.” Octan knew how difficult this all must be to hear. Iwaizumi’s first tournament in College and he was getting benched. It was difficult for the Captain to make the decision, but in the end the secret play Ushijima and Oikawa were working on helped him decide. He tried to soften the blow for Iwaizumi. “Look, you’re still young. You have four more years to play. We’ll figure out how to work with both of you on the court, but right now is just not your time.”

The Coach said some reassuring words as well, but they went in one ear and out the other.

Iwaizumi knew there was no fighting this decision. Everything they said was true. He gave his thanks and left the room. He tried to breathe in deeply to keep his chest from tightening too much, but nothing seemed to work.

That night, his phone was blowing up with texts from Oikawa. Ushijima and Oikawa came by to talk to him in his room multiple times, but Iwaizumi had locked himself in. He lied in bed, not having the energy to do much at all.

* * *

Their final game was against the Vikings, one of the strongest college teams in the area. The Vikings were often featured in magazines and often played national tournaments. Mount College did not have as much credit to their name, but they were growing their reputation. Oikawa, Ushijima, and Iwaizumi, on top of bringing their talents, brought their fanbases, which was a significant boost for the team.

Specifically, it was hard to go into any stadium without hearing Oikawa’s fangirls cheering for their idol.

The boys were in the locker room, getting ready for their last day here. Iwaizumi put on his jersey a bit more slowly, knowing well that he was dressing for the bench, not for the court.

“Iwa-chan, are you alright?” Oikawa startled Iwaizumi. “Sorry,” he said.

“It’s okay. And I’m fine.” Iwaizumi was not fine, but right now he didn’t matter. This was the finals.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t adjust fast enough.” Oikawa didn’t know how to balance his feelings. He was angry at himself for putting Iwaizumi in this position, but anger didn’t translate the best on the court. He knew he had to be cool and level headed

“It’s not your fault idiot. I messed up too you know. Besides, I want you to get your head out your ass and back in the game alright?” Iwaizumi was stern with Oikawa on this.

“Yes Sir!”

“Good.”

Ushijima watched the scene, feeling responsible as well. Oikawa shared with him the details of the decision he had to make. If Ushijima didn’t miss, Iwaizumi may have been able to play in the final. He didn’t know how to confront Iwaizumi, but Ushijima knew it was his duty. He would handle it after the game.

The game itself was not going well. The Vikings had taken the first set and were now in a 3 point lead. Octan wondered if he made the right decision taking Iwaizumi out, but Ushijima was playing to his full potential. Right now, they were just being out powered by a team that was notorious for their defense. He knew they needed the break that defense.

During the timeout, he simply said one thing to Oikawa. “Now.”

Oikawa and Ushijima both knew what this meant. They would finally get to try their special move in an actual game.

When the whistle rang and the two were back in the game, the team had a new determination about them. Another few points were played before it was time.

“Ushijima,” Oikawa said, sending the ball in Ushijima’s direction. Ushijima focused, wanting to get the timing perfect.

The hit was perfect and it landed. Their practice had paid off. It was a bittersweet moment. This wouldn’t secure a victory, but they now had a weapon that could go against the other team’s defenses. Ushijima thought of Iwaizumi, who was sitting on the bench watching this all unfold. If he had made the shot the other day, this game would have been different. But he didn’t have time to think about that.

Iwaizumi was shocked by the move. He hadn’t seen Oikawa and Ushijima practice anything like that, so he supposed they were working on it separate from the team. It was the perfect move, and in tight spots like this, it would be a game-changer. He watched as Ushijima and Oikawa high-fived each other. They really had become closer in a short span of time. Iwaizumi couldn’t say he wasn’t jealous. His feet were itching to be on the court too. For the first time, his faith in himself as a player started to waiver. What if he wasn’t as good as the two? If Oikawa couldn’t adjust to them both, he would come up as the weaker player. What would he do then? It was clear to him that the team would probably value Ushijima more, but who would Oikawa pick? Even being on the same team, Iwaizumi felt as if he was on the other side of the net.

That one set was enough to turn the tide of the game. The rival team was visibly shaken, not knowing when they could expect an attack like that again. They fumbled more than they had earlier in the game but were still keeping an iron-clad defense. There were a few more breaks in which both teams were able to receive feedback. Eventually, Mount College took the second set.

The last set would decide if they would be the Champions of the tournament or if they would go home with just 2nd place. Oikawa walked up to Iwaizumi before the 3rd set began.

“That was a nice move.” Iwaizumi was the first to start the conversation.

“Yeah. Coach and Captain told us to work on it secretly. It was centered around making an unstoppable move for a left-handed Spiker.” Oikawa wanted to clarify. He didn’t want Iwaizumi to feel left out, although, how could Iwaizumi not? Oikawa noticed as Iwaizumi played with his feet. He sat down on the bench next to Iwaizumi and put his head on the other’s shoulders. He really wished he could explain to Iwaizumi that none of this had anything to do with his lack of talent, because Iwaizumi was so talented. Oikawa had resolved to do better for his team and better for Iwaizumi.

“Don’t get tired already idiot, there’s one more set.”

“I know, but my body is aching.”

“You’ve lost your touch.” Iwaizumi was teasing him and Oikawa knew that.

“I have not! You better watch me out there, I’ll prove you wrong,” Oikawa said back. He was now on his feet, sassing Iwaizumi with his hand on his hip.

“I always am.” Iwaizumi was telling the truth. With one blow of the whistle, the game resumed and Oikawa didn’t get to respond, though he wouldn’t have known how to. Oikawa’s heart was beating faster than before.

Iwaizumi knew that now wasn’t the time to discuss what he was feeling, sitting on the cold steel bench, watching his friends getting to play.

The start of the third set was similar to the last two. The Vikings had taken the lead, but this time the margin was much smaller. The boys knew they could still bring it back. They could still win.

There would be cheers from both sides, each time their respective teams made a shot. Each hit of the Volleyball created an increase in adrenaline which masked any sign of tiredness. Even if they were exhausted, they had to fool their mind into believing they were not. The energy even transferred to the players on the bench who were holding their breath.

Whether they were on the court, whether they got to play or not, whether it was their hit, all of that seemed to matter less now. They would have tomorrow to regret those things. But if today the team didn’t win, all of this would have been for nothing. And so, they had to win.

It came down to the last two balls. The teams were tied 24-24. The Vikings sent a ball over but couldn’t make it land. The score was now 24-25. They needed one more point.

Iwaizumi watched as Oikawa tossed the ball around in his head. He knew this would be a big decision for the Setter, but also a clear cut one. He would send it to Ushijima.

Being the star player he is, Ushijima also picked up on this. It was once again time to pull off the special move. He always wanted to be a player his team could depend on, and now was the time to live up to that. Ushijima had to fight, not just for the guys that were on the court, but even those who were not. He turned to look at Iwaizumi for a second. Iwaizumi was smiling at him. At that moment, Ushijima was assured of victory.

All Oikawa had to do was hit the ball, which he set up perfectly. Ushijima had to connect. He did so perfectly.

The other team tried their best, but sometimes the best isn’t good enough.

The ball landed on the ground, and the crowd erupted. Mount College would be taking home their first regional victory in years.

Iwaizumi watched as Oikawa walked up to Ushijima. The two fist-bumped. It was a sight to behold. Two rivals, taking a victory together.

Everyone did their formalities after the game and then proceeded to clean up. No one spoke much while on the bus as they were all napping from exhaustion. Iwaizumi looked out his window, watching as they left the stadium behind, his head now eerily empty. Oikawa fast asleep on his shoulders.

* * *

At the hotel, everyone busied themselves packing up their stuff, allowing the excess adrenaline from the game to motivate them. Ushijima, being relatively neat, took shorter than most of his teammates. With some time to spare, he knew he had to talk to Iwaizumi about what happened.

Iwaizumi did not bother to come down as the Captain cheered on the rest of the team for their success. They had earned it, he had not. He focused on shoving all his stuff into his bag, relieved to go back to his dorm. He heard a knock on the door and turned to so who it was.

“Hey Ushijima,” he said quietly then went back to focusing on his stuff.

“May I come in?”

Iwaizumi nodded to say yes.

Ushijima wasn’t entirely sure what would be the best thing to say. He looked around the nearly empty room first before settling. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to play in the games.”

Iwaizumi stopped for a moment, not wanting Ushijima to take pity on him. But he realized that Ushijima wasn’t. “It’s whatever. As long as the team wins, that’s all that matters to me.”

Though a noble sentiment, Ushijima knew it didn’t accurately represent what Iwaizumi felt.

“I’m looking forward to playing with you in future matches. We must practice more together,” Ushijima said, trying to look more towards the future.

“Yeah, we should.” Iwaizumi didn’t want to go into the prospects of his role in the team with Ushijima was around.

Ushijima knew that Iwaizumi was avoiding any deep conversation with him at the moment. He said what he believed Iwaizumi needed to hear and what he genuinely believed. “Iwaizumi, we all believe in you.”

Iwaizumi stopped what he was doing. He didn’t know why that sentence had jolted something in him. He typically had enough self-confidence to not need this from anybody but to hear Ushijima say this, it felt good. Iwaizumi looked at Ushijima to see him standing awkwardly by the door. He didn’t know what to say, so he did’t say anything at all. His chest was tightening. Looking at Ushijima now, all those feeling from before were flooding back. Why was he such an idiot? Why couldn’t he stop himself?

Ushijima felt uncomfortable being stared it by Iwaizumi for so long. He didn’t know if he had said something offensive. He decided to break the ice, hoping to get a reaction that showed he was still in the clear.

“Also, please respond back to Oikawa’s messages. He is growing quite anxious.”

Iwaizumi laughed and Ushijima knew everything was going to be okay for now. And when they weren’t, he would be there to make things better. He wasn’t used to this, but he would learn.

“I’ll leave you to your packing then,” Ushijima said before heading out. The conversation was mostly one-sided, but everything that needed to be said was said.

Iwaizumi looked down at his phone to see all the texts from Oikawa. He hadn’t paid attention since the end of the game. Most of the texts were asking if he was okay, so he replied back to ensure the idiot that he was fine. Oikawa replied back in an instant asking what he should wear to the celebration party.

Iwaizumi had wrestled with the idea of attending, as he felt he contributed very little. But, he was just getting a chance to hang out and have fun with both Ushijima and Oikawa without as much tension. He didn’t want to lose that. Besides, the team Captain personally requested his presence, so not attending would be rude.

‘Wear the blue one’ he replied. ‘Just prepare for the return of the black shirt.’

He received a tirade of responses from Oikawa. They could talk about it on the bus.

* * *

By the time the boys got back on Campus, everyone was exhausted. They received some cheers from the student body and were asked to comment on their win by the school newspaper, but their exhaustion prevented them from taking most of that in. The Coach and Captain kept their speeches short and let everyone go home for the night.

“Iwa-chan, can I spend the night at yours? Oikawa asked, not wanting to make the walk to his dorm. Oikawa also did not appreciate all the partying Dave was doing while simultaneously ignoring the Setter. They were not on speaking terms for the moment, and Oikawa really needed some rest today.

“Yeah.”

It was weird for Oikawa to be back in the dorm. It brought back some memories, but by now he had processed through some of his emotions. That was, aside from the big one which was his feelings for Iwaizumi. Many things from his past were starting to make sense in this context, but many things were also getting more complicated. He didn’t have the brainpower to think these things through right now.

“Wow, you guys should really spice this place up,” Oikawa commented, noticing how silent the room was.

“When you left, you took all the spice with you, and all the herbs.” Iwaizumi was the only one to laugh at his jokes. Ushijima looked puzzled and Oikawa was one move away from a face-palm. “You guys just don’t get it.”

“I’m not sure any of us want to,” Oikawa said back.

They exchanged a few more laughs before Oikawa went to shower. Iwaizumi took this opportunity to say some things.

“Ushijima, thanks for everything you said earlier.” Ushijima looked to Iwaizumi and nodded. Iwaizumi didn’t think the other Ace understood how much his words meant. And not just his words. Iwaizumi didn’t think that Ushijima understood how much he meant to Iwaizumi. Perhaps Ushijima never felt anything as strong towards him, but Iwaizumi could not let go of those feelings.

He moved towards Ushijima, standing directly in front of the other boy. "You had a great match."

Ushijima looked down at Iwaizumi, trying not to get too consumed. "Thank you." Ushijima forcefully looked away and went to unpacking his stuff. Iwaizumi wanted things to back to the way they were. In Ushijima's mind, this meant that all the feelings he had would have to be channelled elsewhere.

Iwaizumi too returned to his cleaning before Oikawa walked back. “Iwa-chan, you can go now,” he said.

Oikawa watched as Iwaizumi gathered his stuff and went to use the bathroom.

“Did you get a chance to talk to him?” Oikawa had been more transparent with Ushijima about the events of the tournament than he had with Iwaizumi. This was simply because Oikawa didn’t know how to have that conversation with Iwaizumi. Ushijima was there to listen, and he took on some of the burden even though it wasn’t his to bare.

“Yes. He seems to be doing alright,” Ushijima reassured him though he could see that the events were still weighing heavy on Oikawa. “You did what you thought was best, and with more practice, we can do better on the court.” They could all agree on that fact. It wasn’t about if Iwaizumi would be joining them, but more of when. And if Oikawa had his way, it would be very soon. “Also, you were a worthy teammate.”

Oikawa wasn’t expecting to get compliments from Ushijima. He didn’t know why he felt happy to hear it. “You weren’t so bad yourself,” he said, feeling obligated to return the gesture.

Iwaizumi came back soon after, by when all three were ready for bed. Ushijima drifted off first, allowing the ambient noises to lull him to sleep.

Iwaizumi closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, but he could feel the restlessness in Oikawa. “What are we going to do with you Oikawa?” he asked.

“What do you mean Iwa-chan?”

“You get fidgety whether you win or lose. Are you never satisfied?”

“I am satisfied,” Oikawa said back. He consciously tried to straighten himself out so he wasn’t moving as much.

“Are you really?” Oikawa wouldn’t answer that question, and Iwaizumi knew it, so he changed the subject. “I see that you and Ushijima have gotten really close.”

Oikawa stayed silent for a while before admitting how he truly felt. “He’s alright. He’s helpful.”

Iwaizumi wanted to know more so he pressed on. “What has he been helping you with?”

“None of your business Iwa-chan,” Oikawa teased. Iwaizumi expected that, but he didn’t expect what came out next. “You know, he’s not as bad as I always thought.” Oikawa saw Iwaizumi’s eyes peering at him as if questioning everything. “I mean, he’s stupid sometimes, and mean mostly, but he listens.” Oikawa ignored the racing of his heart when he said this. That feeling was way too complex.

“Yeah, he is isn’t he.” Neither of them was aware that they were whispering. Iwaizumi felt his heart tingle as well. Instead, he focused on something else that was weighing on him. “Don’t think too good of him though Shittykawa. I don’t want you to replace me on the court.”

This felt like a slap to Oikawa. It hurt, and he knew there would be a burning sensation left from the impression of those words. “Iwa-chan, no one can replace you. I may play with Ushijima, but you are my Ace. I’m never going to let you down on the court again, so just have faith in me!”

“I always have faith in you, don’t take things too seriously,” Iwaizumi said, messing with Oikawa’s hair. He wouldn’t admit that this helped clear many of his own doubts. He needed Oikawa’s reassurance, and he was glad to have it.

Oikawa yawned. “Let’s go to sleep before you die,” Iwaizumi said.

“Goodnight Iwa-chan.”

“Goodnight.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Although this chapter does not contain any explicit material, it does hint at there being a sexual relationship. I will be puting a *** to mark the start and end for anyone who is uncomfortable with such material.

The next morning was fairly peaceful. The boy’s exhaustion had settled to just an aching of their muscles. Seijoh’s pair harassed Ushijima while he worked on some assignments.

“You’re such a nerd. Who works on schoolwork the day after a championship?” Oikawa said for the fifth time.

“Is this coming from the boy that cried after he failed that exam in 6th grade?” Iwaizumi asked back.

“Hey! Iwa-chan that’s personal,” Oikawa said back. The two spit back and forth at each other while Ushijima continued to focus on his work.

Eventually, the two left Ushijima alone and went off to explore some cool places near the campus. It was nice to catch up as they did before.

By the afternoon, Oikawa had returned with several bags in his hands. Ushijima made a face so Iwaizumi clarified. “Can’t stop him from doing what he does. He bought me a new outfit for the party tonight.”

“I had to save him from the awful black shirt,” Oikawa said, exaggerating his movements.

“That is fair,” Ushijima replied.

“Oh, and _do_ you have something picked out Ushijima?” Iwaizumi made sure to draw out every syllable.

“No, I am still looking.” Ushijima used the opportunity to walk over to his closet space and check what he has.

“Don’t worry Ushijima, I’ll be with you after I finish with Iwa-chan over here. I am the most fashion-forward person here after all,” Oikawa added. He began to look through his bags for clothes to put on the former Ace.

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that.”

Though Iwaizumi said this, he allowed for Oikawa to dress him. Oikawa picked out an expensive navy blue shirt for him. He used gel to style Iwaizumi’s hair so it was even more of a statement.

“I look like a total f**k boy,” Iwaizumi said, looking at the mirror. He played with his hair a bit to regain control over his look.

“I think you look nice.” Iwaizumi pretended to mess with his buttons so as to not react too strongly to Ushijima’s comment. It suddenly felt hot enough to turn on the air conditioning on such a chilly day.

Ushijima was Oikawa’s next victim. The Setter was in love with all the choices he had to work with. Ushijima’s closet was nearly overflowing, which made him think back to the first time he had dressed the Ace. Ushijima was objectively handsome, thought he would never admit it. It Oikawa’s job to bring that out with his clothes.

“How about this emerald green one?” he asked showing the piece he was referring to.

“Emerald green?” Iwaizumi mocked.

“Yes Iwa-chan, some of us know our primary colors.”

“I’ll try it on,” Ushijima said, not wanting to get in between their quarrel.

Oikawa sighed deeply. “Now I only have a couple minutes to do my look, but that’s okay. Iwa-chan, please help me!” he whined. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes but assisted none the less.

They spent a few minutes on their own getting ready, asking for help here and there. Oikawa wore a matching blue ensemble to Iwaizumi’s. It was hard for either of the former Ace's to deny Oikawa's beauty, but both knew that admitting it outloud could lead tragic outcomes.

Iwaizumi turned his attention to his tie, which Ushijima could tell he was struggling with.

“Do you need help?” he asked.

Iwaizumi hesitantly nodded. “I can do it myself, it’s just this one’s a bit tricky,” he said trying to appear more skilled than he really was.

“Oh yeah Iwa-chan, I'm sure it's _very_ tricky.” Oikawa could never pass up on an opportunity to tease him. Iwaizumi picked up a shirt nearby and threw it at Oikawa, earning a whine from the other. He paused to let Ushijima do his thing.

Ushijima worked quickly, but to Iwaizumi, it felt like time was moving a bit slower. Being so up close to the other, Iwaizumi could observe everything about Ushijima’s body. The smell of Ushijima’s perfume was strong. Nothing Iwaizumi owned came close to comparing. He didn’t realize he was starting to close his eyes until Ushijima said “done,” and moved back. Iwaizumi jolted back at that moment and stepped away from Ushijima.

“Do mine next!” Oikawa said as he walked over to Ushijima.

Ushijima didn’t know when he became the tie tying service, but it was a calming task. Standing next to someone almost his height, Ushijima realize how cute Iwaizumi height was. He didn’t allow himself to dwell on that thought for too long as he focused on fixing up Oikawa’s messy knot. The Setter was nice to look at up close as well, but their closeness made Ushijima slightly uncomfortable, almost as if he was biting a fruit he shouldn’t. Luckily, the task only took a couple seconds.

“Is everyone ready?” Oikawa cheered, getting back some semi-enthusiastic responses, before they headed to the party.

* * *

The sun had only just started setting, but making their way to the frat house was still a bit difficult. The boys had spent some time on campus, but they were not in on all the mysteries of fraternity life, including the location of their houses. Oikawa was the most knowledgeable of the three as Dave loved to party at the of campus places, but it even took him a couple of minutes to know which was the right one.

When they arrived, they saw a large tower-shaped building with the banner “CONGRATS TEAM” sprawled out front. “Guess this is the one,” Oikawa said, putting his phone away.

They all walked into cheers from the team and fans alike. It wasn’t long before different people started to come and ask for Ushijima and Oikawa. Iwaizumi felt isolated was began to regret his decisions, but the crowds left as quickly as they had come. After all, this was a frat party and there was plenty more fun activities than just discussing volleyball.

Oikawa and Ushijima didn’t mind the peace. All three of the boys initially headed over to the fake bar, but Iwaizumi quickly departed ways, pointing to the game section that was across. “They have a pool table, I have to go play!” Oikawa knew that the other would get lost in the game for a while.

“Would you like a drink?” Ushijima asked, breaking the ice. It was just the two of them and Ushijima had already learned that Oikawa hated awkward silences.

“Yeah, no alcohol though,” Oikawa said back. Oikawa watched as Ushijima ordered something juice and water for himself. “You don’t come to parties often do you?” Oikawa found a couple of empty barstools and took a seat.

“I have gone to victory parties before, but I prefer not to go.”

“Why?” Oikawa asked.

“Not for me.” Parties were always too loud for Ushijima.

“I can’t imagine it. Like you, becoming a party animal and dancing around,” Oikawa couldn’t help but laugh at the weird image he had conjured up.

Ushijima was still on the “party animal” phrasing, but he decided to push past it. “I see that Dave is not here today,” he noted, thinking back to the first team party they went to. He was just making an observation but he watched as Oikawa quickly stopped laughing.

“Um. We’re kind of over, you know?” Oikawa had talked about his relationship with Ushijima, but he hadn’t mentioned this latest development.

“Are you two no longer in a relationship?”

Oikawa nodded to confirm. Though Oikawa originally denied it to himself, he knew their relationship was short-term. Dave turned out to be different than when they had originally met. He tried to work harder towards the relationship, but Oikawa could not stand the lack of effort. Talking to Ushijima over the days helped reveal to him just how much he was setteling, and for something as stupid as feeling lonely. Oikawa wasn't a stranger to being alone in a room full of people, but he refused to let his emotions be holes he plugs in with random people. He could do better than that. He didn't have to put on an act for Iwaizumi anymore, which made it easier. “I found out he was talking to other people, you know, flirting and all that. I always knew it was going on, but seeing the proof made me really mad. So I told him I’m breaking up,” Oikawa explained.

Ushijima paused to take in all of the information. “What about you staying there?” 

“He says he doesn’t care as long as I don’t get in the way of his pictures and partying.”

“The two P’s.” Oikawa didn’t know if Ushijima was joking, but the lameness of his statement made him laugh anyway. It was nice to have Ushijima there, especially since so much of this he couldn’t share with Iwaizumi. Iwaizumi had always been his best outlet for dumb things like this. Oikawa could have never imagined that one day Ushijima would be that person as well. This was nice. 

Ushijima was happy that the other was smiling again. Oikawa didn’t often smile near him, so the rare moments were precious.

The conversation between the two was halted when they heard cheers from across the room. They turned to see that it was about Iwaizumi who seemed to have won the game. Iwaizumi waived over at the two from across the room and in return, they cheered and clapped for him. Seijoh’s ace went back to playing the game and Oikawa turned back to Ushijima.

“Let’s go do something more fun than talking about assholes,” he suggested.

Ushijima seemed on board, but he eyed the drinks the two had neglected. They gave each other a look before chugging down the beverage and heading towards the fun.

* * *

It wasn’t long before Oikawa and Ushijima had explored most of the games at the frat game. They jumped in and out of watching Iwaizumi as he went on his own adventures, including arm wrestling which he was currently preoccupied with. Oikawa pushed Ushijima to try his luck, but at a frat house nobody would be hard-pressed to find competition and so Ushijima left Iwaizumi to his fun.

Oikawa’s next push for Ushijima was to get him to dance. “Come on!” he said trying to pull Ushijima again towards the crowded space away. Oikawa knew he was trying to fulfill his own fantasies of seeing Ushijima dance, but he also knew it would be fun for the other.

Ushijima continued to refuse, but eventually, he was worn down by the Setter.

Ushijima mainly watched as the other danced around. Oikawa was a natural. Though his moves weren’t always there, his energy made up for it. Oikawa quickly gained the attention of the ladies in the room, but he was still focused on Ushijima who was barely moving. Oikawa tried to guide the other.

Oikawa was feeling a weird sense of a high right now. He was completely sober, but his mood was naturally up. It didn’t happen often, but right now Oikawa did not have any concerns. His body was only hot from his own movements and not the weight of any of his feelings. He knew it was odd for him to spend such a long time being so close to Ushijima, but through their time together, he was able to get used to it. He didn’t care what his fans thought, he was getting close with Ushijima and he was, for reasons unknown to him, happy about that.

Ushijima tried to learn a few steps from Oikawa, but his agility on the court did not transfer onto the dance floor. He knew he should be offended by Oikawa’s laughing, but it didn’t offend him. In fact, Ushijima was starting to like the sound.

Eventually, the songs turned to a softer tone. Ushijima instinctively began to walk away, not thinking they would try a slow dance, but Oikawa had other plans.

“There’s nothing else to do.”

Ushijima supposed this was true. He wasn’t entirely comfortable dancing with someone in front of a crowd, but he soon realized that he was this crowd that helped shield any attention from coming to them in particular.

Oikawa helped to adjust Ushijima before helping to move him slowly.

“You never had ballroom lessons in school, did you?” Oikawa asked.

Ushijima shook his head no.

“When we were kids, I wouldn’t stop throwing a fit until Iwa-chan was my partner. Mostly because I didn’t want him to dance with Jennifer. The teacher finally gave up and put us in a team together. Iwa-chan stepped on my feet the whole time.” Oikawa watched as Ushijima gave a small smile. He looked passed Ushijima to see Iwaizumi, still busying himself with arm wrestling. Oikawa was glad the other was having fun, but he wondered if Iwaizumi would mind them dancing like this.

"I thought a fancy boy like you would know slow dance," Oikawa teased.

"I was never taught," Ushijima replied simply. Dance was never really part of his childhood. "I did play violin at a ballet concert before."

"Of course you did, you're a nerd" Oikawa said.

"Is that bad thing?" Ushijima heard Oikawa say the phrase a couple of times, but he didn't know how to interrpret it in the scope of their relationship.

"It's not. It's actually kind of cute." If Ushijima was truly honest, he wasn't even sure what his relationship was. His connection with Iwaizumi was weird, but his connection with Oikawa felt like it did a 180. He didn't know why the Setter began to trust him more, but supposed it had something to do with that one rainy day. 

Oikawa realized what he said but he didn’t have long to think as Ushijima naturally pushed more into him. The floor was becoming more crowded, leaving less space between everybody. Oikawa wasn't ignorant to Ushijima's arms that were grappling onto his sides. 

Something about this felt a bit wrong to Oikawa. His heart had started to beat fast but his body was in a serene state.

The two didn’t realize that they were pushing each other further and further into the back of the hallway.They were lost in their petty conversations. Ushijima revealing more about himself, Oikawa telling him how that fit in with what a nerd he was. Eventually, Oikawa stopped talking, tiring himself out. This didn't happen often, but a good conversation could lead to that, He put his head on Ushijima's shoulder and closed his eyes. His mind was yelling at him, but this is what his body wanted.

Ushijima didn't know how to react at first, but then allowed for the situation to take over.

When the music finally changed to a different slow song, Oikawa opened his eyes, shocked by the darkness. He could feel the coldness from the wall behind him. They had come a long way from where they originally started on the dancefloor. 

Ushijima was staring down at him. They were still dancing, but in their current positions, they were almost grinding onto each other. Both of their minds were starting to buzz.

They got closer to each other, at first only grazing each other’s lips. It was innocent. But soon, it turned into more. Ushijima was the first to push it in deeper, but Oikawa did not stop him. He kissed Ushijima back just as passionately.

There were some intruding thoughts in the back of their minds. They had gotten closer to each other in the past few weeks, but that didn’t negate their past. Besides, they were both emotionally attached to Iwaizumi. But, the more they kissed the more these thoughts died down. The only thing that stopped them was the giggling they heard from some people passing by.

“Let’s go somewhere else,” Oikawa said. He wasn’t sure why he was whispering.

Ushijima only gave him a nod, so Oikawa took his hand. They were closer to the back exit, so they ran through there, and they didn’t stop running even though it was completely dark by now. With no moon in the sky, the street and car lights were guiding them through. Oikawa loved the chill he felt from the air. He couldn’t help but laugh.

Ushijima had never runaway with someone like this. Oikawa had a vice-like grip on his arm, but still, Ushijima felt a sense of freedom he hadn’t experienced before.

It reminded him of his childhood when he went outside to chase something interesting he saw. His mom had caught him back then, and though she did not yell, her disappointment was enough to make sure Ushijima would stick with the rules.

But now, no one was there to watch him or reprimand him. He was happy to give in to Oikawa, allowing the other to guide him. Ushijima always enjoyed control, and while that would never change, he enjoyed letting loose of it for now. Running like this made him feel like he’s taking flight.

* * *

***

It didn’t take long for them to reach Ushijima’s dorm. Oikawa had to let go of the other so as to not look too weird in front of the security guards and the staggering students.

They made it up to the room in record time. Ushijima fumbled with the keys. Oikawa laughed seeing how nervous the other was, but he was the same. His heart was pounding out of his chest.

When they entered, they shared a few kisses with each other before Ushijima pulled away. “What exactly will we be doing.”

Oikawa wanted to blurt out the first thing the came to his mind, but it was hard for him to voice what he wanted to do right now. He wished Ushijima would just understand.

They took the time to catch their breath, settling in on the awkwardness they had created. Ushijima sat down on his bed and Oikawa took a spot on the floor, near the mess of clothes he had created. Oikawa wondered why they had even run all the way here in the first place. If the were going to do was make out for a few seconds they could have just done in the frat bathroom and get it out of their systems as everyone does. 

Oikawa knew, when he ran here, he wanted more. A sudden urge was taking over, putting all the intrusive thoughts under its shadow.

Ushijima looked at Oikawa. He knew what he wanted, but he also acknowledged the voices in the back of his head asking him to consider the consequences of this. For once Ushijima wanted to live without considering that, just to see what it was like. The fact that it was Oikawa made him desire that more so. He had spent years thinking about the Setter, though not it this way. Yet it appeared that these thoughts were welling up and going through metamorphisis at the same time.

Most importantly, for once, Ushijima wanted to do something just to do it, so he spoke up first. “I’m not too experienced in these sorts of things, but if you would like to-”

Oikawa cut him off with a “Yes!”. He sounded a bit too enthusiastic, even for his own taste. The desires still hadn’t left him. Hearing Ushijima say those words, Oikawa couldn’t be more ready. He wanted this too. He wanted to save the worrying for later too.

“I don’t have any protection or anything like that.” Oikawa found Ushijima’s honesty to be sweet.

“I know where Iwa-chan hides his stuff. I’ll get some.”

That name created a pause for both of them. Iwaizumi didn’t know any of this was happening. They were both going behind his back. Oikawa tried to rationalize it. This wasn’t love, he was just lusting. He only loved Iwaizumi, but Iwaizumi likely didn't even want him, and so this was fine. “Here,” Oikawa said, handing Ushijima what he had found. He wasn't plugging up his emotions anymore, he was letting them flow.

Ushijima didn’t question why Oikawa knew of Iwaizumi’s personal items. Focusing on the now helped to absolve Ushijima of any guilt he felt towards Iwaizumi. Whatever relationship they were headed towards in the past was over now. In honesty, it ended a while ago. After all, Iwaizumi deserved better than him, so it didn’t really matter. Iwaizumi wanted them to go back to a past normal. This wasn't that. This experience would exist in a universe of its own, a little pocket in Ushijima's memories, and the former Ace was more than happy keeping it there. But, he wanted this.

The two began to kiss getting more passionate. Ushijima knew Oikawa would lead the way, and allowed for him to do so. The more rational side of his brain still had a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that Oikawa was with him, like this, in all the literal senses of the words.

But he did what he set out to do. He surrendered himself to his pleasures.

***

* * *

Oikawa was the first to wake up the next morning. He was shocked to see Ushijima sleeping soundly next to him, but they had a crazy night so he understood.

He listened to the birds outside. It seemed like they were mocking him. Here he was, in bed with his former rival. These were not the College memories Oikawa thought he would make.

Oikawa turned to Ushijima and reached out for some of his hair, helping to move it. He looked nice when he was sleeping. 

Oikawa noticed as the other’s expression changed. Soon, two green eyes were peering into him.

“Good morning,” Oikawa said first.

“Good morning.” Ushijima’s voice was a little hoarse. Running through the cold like that wasn’t a good idea.

“How are you feeling?” Oikawa asked, wanting to make sure everything was alright.

“I feel fine.” Oikawa smiled. “How are you?”

“I’m okay, a bit sore though,” Oikawa joked with Ushijima. They got comfortable for a second before Ushijima raised the main point.

“I feel guilty.” He was always blunt like this.

Oikawa knew why, but he decided to ask anyway. “Because of Iwa-chan?” Ushijima gave a nod. “Me too. Don’t think I’m not thinking about him.” Oikawa knew what he was saying wasn’t helping to take away any of Ushijima’s guilt and Oikawa wanted to leave the other with a better experience. “It was just a one-time thing. We got into our feelings and hooked up. It doesn’t mean we love him any less. Besides, neither of us are dating him.” Oikawa looked to Ushijima for a response.

“But I have kissed him before.” Oikawa knew Ushijima didn’t mean it as a jab, but it hurt him nonetheless.

He reacted in a bit of anger. “That doesn’t make him your boyfriend.” He realized what he was saying and lowered his voice. “If you want to pretend this didn’t happen, I’m fine with that.”

Ushijima nodded his head yes again. This hurt just as much. “Okay.”

Oikawa quickly got up and put on the rest of his clothes. He gathered his stuff which was scattered around. “I’ll take all of this stuff out,” Oikawa pointed to the mess they had created, “You get some more rest.” Oikawa was no longer angry. He didn't expect more out of this experience. But he couldn't deny the tinge of sadness that lingered in the back of his mind.

There wasn’t a chance to exchange goodbyes. Ushijima felt his a distant emptiness, but he was more than glad to let sleep cover it up.

* * *

Ushijima’s quick nap was disturbed by a knock on the door. He quickly got dressed and went to check it out.

“Sorry, I totally forgot my keys when we left yesterday.” It was Iwaizumi.

“That’s alright,” Ushijima said, stepping aside to let the other walk-in.

“Man, did we make that much of a mess less night?” Iwaizumi was laughing, but Ushijima’s heart was beating fast. He felt as if he was seconds away from being discovered for some crime he had done. “Where did you and Oikawa head off to last night? I couldn’t find you guys anywhere.”

That was the offending question. “Oikawa wasn’t feeling well. I took him home.” Ushijima didn’t know his lips could lie like that,

“Oh, is he alright?” The genuine concern in Iwaizumi’s voice made this all worse.

Ushijima gave him a simple nod and avoided eye contact. In wasn't in him to lie, but Ushijima could not tell Iwaizumi all this. Not when seeing Iwaizumi confirmed for him that no amount of hookups would get rid of what Ushijima felt.

Iwaizumi knew that something was off, but he decided to move on. “Well it sucks ‘cause you guys missed all the fun. I was on a winning streak! These frat boys really aren’t anything special. But it sucked that they ended up keeping me there the whole night. I really wanted to come back to this nice, warm, bed you know?”

Ushijima knew. And he also knew what Iwaizumi would discover if he had come back as intended.

At that moment, one thing became plainly clear. It isn’t the bad deed that eats away at people, it’s the guilt.

**Author's Note:**

> Hoping to update every weekend! Please let me know what you think.


End file.
